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With
all the interest in recent years over the band that is Nightwish I have
grown ever more inquisitive about this band and the urban legend that
has grown with them, are really they Finland's best kept secret?
Mixing the power of Metallica with the pompness of Andrew Lloyd Webber,
this fact alone makes them worth checking out if only for the sake of my
sanity.
And what I found was strangely fascinating the mix of rock and classical
music works extremely well. ‘Once’ may be the album that makes this
genre more accessible to the masses.
The album itself has been described by many as a masterpiece so I had to
have a listen and the verdict. What a revelation, the power and
intensity put into this album are second to none, and the production is
simply superb.
Things get underway with ‘Dark Chest Of Wonders’ that starts off
with a flurry of high octane guitars and quite majestic keyboards then
that voice, Tarja Turunen's vocals are astounding on this and every
track.
‘Wish I Had An Angel’ starts off with a thumping bass and drums that
lead you into a rumpus chorus that Tarja and Marco duet on with such
power and majesty that make it one of the highlights of the album.
‘Nemo’ is the debut single off the album and is a more atmospheric
track starting off with a gentle piano intro leading into a heavy bass
riff that leads the way for the haunting vocals of Tarja, the midsection
of the track rises and falls with flamboyant tempo changes.
‘Planet Hell’ once again has Marco and Tarja stamping their
authority on the track and the orchestral intro wouldn't be out of place
on any movie soundtrack the ebb and flow on the track is once again
superb.
‘Creek Mary’s Blood’ shifts the boundaries once more with the
Native Americans getting the Nightwish treatment, the pan pipes and
drums are used to great effect and the somber vocals make this track
stand out from the rest simply by its change of direction from the rest
of the album.
‘The Siren’ once again highlights the vocal talent of Tarja Turenen
and the writing of Tuomas Holopainin with its haunting melodies and
seamless blends from orchestra to band. A marvellous track.
‘Dead Gardens’ is another powerful mix of guitar and keyboards and
yet another massive chorus. ‘Romanticide’ has Tarja and Marco
working well together with excellent results on this heavy drum
orientated track and is probably the heaviest track on the album.
The orchestra is featured quite heavily on ‘Ghost Love Score’ and is
another track that has soundtrack written all over it imagine Gladiator
meets the Omen and you’ll get the vibe.
The final two tracks let Tarja take the lead on her own on ‘Kuolema
Tekee Taiteilijan’ she sings in Finnish with the band taking a back
seat and the orchestra giving backing for her vocals to truly shine and
show off her classical background.
‘Higher Than Hope’ is sang in both Finnish and English and with the
orchestra leading the way for the band to give it that thunderous chorus
which gives this track its almost divine feeling. It will leave you
feeling like someone has swung at you with a pillow, but has in fact hit
you with a truck. A great way to end this quite superb album.
A brilliant work of genius that makes me want to check out the rest of
the bands back catalogue
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