Editing Nightwish (section)

===2009–2012: ''Imaginaerum'' and Olzon's dismissal===
{{main|Imaginaerum|Imaginaerum (film)}}
In the June 2009 edition of the Finnish magazine ''Soundi'', Holopainen stated that he had started work on a new Nightwish album. In October 2009, rumors about the new album's name were going around with the title ''Wind Embraced'', but lead vocalist [[Anette Olzon]] listed the rumors as "not true" and said that the songs for the new album had not yet been completed apart from three songs written before May 2009.<ref name="new">{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/ |title=Nightwish Completes Work on New Pre-Production Demo |work=RoadRunnerRecords.com |date=December 2, 2010 |access-date=August 7, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100807124026/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/ |archive-date=August 7, 2010 }}</ref> Holopainen said in a 2010 interview that "[...]I can't reveal to you any more but there is going to be a big twist so to say, on the next album."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metalreviews.com/interviews/interviews.php?id=130 |title=Tuomas Holopainen Interview |work=MetalReviews.com |date=May 18, 2009 |access-date=August 7, 2010}}</ref> In an interview with [[Uilleann pipes|Uilleann piper]] [[Troy Donockley]] (who recorded with the band on ''[[Dark Passion Play]]''), when asked about his involvement in the new album, he stated "Oh yes, I ''will'' be playing on the next album and from what Tuomas has told me, it is going to be something extraordinary..."<ref name="new" />

On 1 February 2010, Olzon stated on her blog that Holopainen had nine songs ready for the new album. In April 2010, Holopainen revealed on the Nightwish homepage that he had finished writing the songs,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nightwish.com/en/community/nightmail?month=03&year=2010 |title=NightwishNightmail |work=Nightwish.com |access-date=August 7, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100720011606/http://www.nightwish.com/en/community/nightmail?month=03&year=2010 |archive-date=July 20, 2010 }}</ref> and on June 2, it was announced that he had finished recording the pre-production demo.<ref name="new" />

The band announced in late 2010 that more information on the album's actual content would be released in late January,<ref name="new" /> but on February 1, the official website bore a statement written by Holopainen that because of the schedule changes he can't yet give away as many details as he would have wanted, but more information will be out after a couple of months. He added, however, that "it still is the [[Tim Burton|Burton]]-[[Neil Gaiman|Gaiman]]-[[Salvador Dalí|Dalí]] – amusement park we are about to enter".<ref name="new" /> In the same statement, it was revealed that the album would be a theme album and "mood changes seem to be more present than ever before", and the orchestration demos he had received from [[Pip Williams]] were described as "beautiful, twisted, tribal and cinematic stuff".<ref name="new" /> In the Finnish version of the statement, it was also revealed that a few songs will not get any orchestrations at all, differing from their latest album on which all songs had the background orchestra.<ref name="new" />

[[File:Nightwish in Denver (Colorado) 2.jpg|thumb|left|Nightwish performing in [[Denver]], Colorado with [[Elize Ryd]] and [[Alissa White-Gluz]], who filled in for Anette Olzon, who parted ways with the band afterwards.]]
Announcements continued throughout 2011. On February 10, Nightwish announced on their website that the new album title would be ''[[Imaginaerum]]''. They also declared that the band had been preparing [[Imaginarium (movie)|a movie]] based on the album, which would be released in 2012 and directed by Stobe Harju, who previously directed the music video for "[[The Islander (song)|The Islander]]".<ref name="new" /> On 22 August 2011, the band's official website announced that the album of ''Imaginaerum'' would be released at the end of the year.<ref name="Nightwish Official Website">{{cite web |url=http://nightwish.com/en/news/archive?month=08&year=2011 |title=Album release |access-date=August 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816045359/http://nightwish.com/en/news/archive?month=08&year=2011 |archive-date=August 16, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On August 31, Nightwish announced on its website a change in title, from ''Imaginarium'' to ''Imaginaerum'', "to avoid mix-ups with various things named 'Imaginarium{{'"}}. On September 2, the group announced on its website that the new single, "[[Storytime (song)|Storytime]]", would be released on Friday, November 11, and on September 9, Nightwish revealed the cover and track list.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nightwish.com/en/imaginaerumteaser |title=Imaginaerum Teaser |work=Nightwish.com |access-date=October 23, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924231709/http://www.nightwish.com/en/imaginaerumteaser |archive-date=September 24, 2011 }}</ref>

On 11 January 2012, Nightwish announced on its website that the second single, "[[The Crow, the Owl and the Dove]]", would be released on February 29. Roadrunner Records announced that Nightwish would be releasing a 10-inch LP titled ''Trials of Imaginaerum'' in conjunction with Record Store Day<ref>{{cite web|title=Nightwish Issues Record Store Day 10|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/nightwish-vinyl-20120314|access-date=March 14, 2012|archive-date=March 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321075310/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/nightwish-vinyl-20120314|url-status=dead}}</ref> (21 April 2012). The 10-inch LP is a two-sided picture disk that contains four early demos of "Storytime", "The Crow, The Owl and The Dove", "I Want My Tears Back" and "Slow, Love, Slow".

On 1 October 2012, Nightwish announced via its Facebook page that they were parting ways with Olzon.<ref name="press statement">[http://www.facebook.com/nightwish/posts/10152150753945068 Press statement] at Nightwish's official Facebook page</ref> According to the press statement, "it has become increasingly obvious that the direction and the needs of the band were in conflict, and this has led to a division from which we cannot recover".<ref name="press statement"/> This announcement came days after Olzon fell ill at a show in [[Denver]], Colorado, and was unable to perform. Nightwish used replacement singers from the opening band, [[Kamelot]], and Olzon later expressed her disappointment, saying "I was never asked if it was okay that they used [[Elize Ryd|Elize]] and [[Alissa White-Gluz|Alissa]] in the show [Friday] night [...] I don't think it's a good decision they made and I'm sorry for those of you who came to see the whole band but got something else. But I was very ill and this decision wasn't mine."<ref name="Nightwish and Anette Olzon Part Ways">{{cite web |url=http://www.upvenue.com/article/1687-nightwish-part-ways-with-vocalist-anette-olzon.html |title=Nightwish and Anette Olzon Part Ways |work=Upvenue |author=Sheila}}</ref> According to the statement, Dutch singer [[Floor Jansen]] (ex-[[After Forever]], [[ReVamp]]) would sing for the remainder of the Imaginaerum World Tour.

On 11 January 2013, Olzon announced on her official blog that she was pregnant with her third child, due in spring 2013, which she claimed was a contributing factor to her being dismissed.<ref name="Anette Olzon Blog: The Secret Is...">{{cite web |url=http://anetteolzon2.blogspot.se/2013/01/the-secret-is.html |work=Anette Olzon Blog |title=The Secret Is... |date=January 11, 2013 |access-date=October 17, 2015}}</ref> The band then released a statement on its website counterclaiming that the reason Olzon gave for her dismissal and other statements she made were untrue and that Olzon herself had agreed to help find a replacement while she was on maternity leave.<ref name="Nightwish state on news page Anette's untruths">{{cite web |url=http://nightwish.com/fi/news |title=The Official Website |work=Nightwish |access-date=April 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418010840/http://www.nightwish.com/fi/news |archive-date=April 18, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Later, Olzon gave several interviews in which she said she never agreed with a replacement, even when she was pregnant, and proposed to the band to postpone the tour, which culminated in her firing. She also added that she was against Jansen joining the band in her period of maternity, mainly because of the difference in their vocal styles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://carlbegai.com/2014/02/02/anette-olzon-careful-what-you-wish-for/ |title=Anette Olzon – Careful What You 'Wish For |work=Carl Begai |date=February 2, 2014 |access-date=April 4, 2014}}</ref>

In a 2015 interview, Holopainen said the band "emerged stronger" from the line-up changes it went through.<ref name="MHammer"/>