Commented keyboard player and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen: "We are actually ahead of our schedule. Incredibly, Floor has sung about two songs a day. Marco cut the final bass parts in 1.5 days and Emppudid the rhythm guitars in a week. I think it was because everything was so well-rehearsed this time. We’ve tried to work more like a band."
Added vocalist Floor Jansen: "Tuomas challenged me, using everything I have to offer. High, low, soft, whatever, but definitely lower stuff and very soft and intimate things. Something that more by coincidence was something that I kind of missed doing. Something I haven’t explored much and Tuomas wrote parts where I have to use this completely, where I have to go into it entirely. I’m very happy with what came out there."