Description

Original 2004 limited edition press with slipcase

Nightwish fifth album, the platinum-certified Once, hit #1 over the summer on the Pan-European charts, and stayed there for three weeks. Nightwish seems to fall into the same genre as Evanescence, Lacuna Coil and the Gathering–female-fronted metal band with symphonic and gothic overtones. But any similarities end there. First of all, singer Tarja Turunen may be the only trained opera singer in metal, and her vocal prowess and range prove it. Then there’s the rest of the group, led by keyboardist and primary songwriter Tuomas Holopainen. Listen closely, and you’ll hear a group that’s equally influenced by opera, classical music, Euro-metal, early thrash and even Kate Bush. Once is the heaviest and most bombastic Nightwish album so far, accessible but not too commercial, modern but still true to the bands musical roots. It might not be their best release. However, it contains some of the best compositions of the bands career both in its epic scope and brilliant songwriting. The chart-topping single Nemo is a monster, building slowly from a simple piano line and molten guitar riff into an over-the-top, orchestral breakdown. Thanks to Turunen’s vocals, the song also possesses a haunted quality that modern-day metal often fails to achieve. Forget formula–the band doesn’t have one. Subtle electronic beats color Wish I Had An Angel, while tribal drums shape the eight-plus minute Creek Mary’s Blood. There’s the aptly titled Ghost Love Score, which sounds like a great, lost Danny Elfman soundtrack. So anyone into epic, romantic and beautiful will find something of note on this album so, are you ready for Nightwish?

Track listing:
1. Dark Chest Of Wonders
2. Wish I Had An Angel
3. Nemo
4. Planet Hell
5. Creek Mary’s Blood
6. The Siren
7. Dead Garden’s
8. Romanticide
9. Ghost Love Score
10. Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan
11. Higher Than Hope