The Dark Element's debut album was released in 2017.
The Dark Element , a band featuring Anette Olzon , former vocalist of Nightwish , and guitarist Jani Liimatainen , who was part of Sonata Arctica , played their first live show at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sweden.
Liimatainen spoke to That Drummer Guy about how The Dark Element came about: “It was actually a coincidence. I was in Lapland doing an acoustic tour with Stratovarius [Timo] Kotipelto, and I got a message from Frontiers [Music Srl] and they asked me if I could contribute as a songwriter to an album and just write songs. I told them I was very busy at the moment, but in two weeks I could try. We set a deadline and I sent a song. I think they liked it, because it went on the album. Then a week later, Serafino [Perugino] from Frontiers asked if I wanted to write and produce the whole album. I said, 'Sure, why not?'” So they asked me if I wanted to work with Anette, I was lucky enough to work with several great singers like Timo Kotipelto and Tony Kakko [from Sonata Arctica] and all those guys. […] It happened, it was just one of those things that happened, I never would have thought of doing an album with Anette. Now, it seems obvious, like 'Why not?' But at that time, that thought would never have crossed my mind.”
The self-titled album was released in November 2017 by Frontiers Music Srl.
