Artist: Nightwish Title: “Eva” (Single) Label: Roadrunner Records Release Date: 5/22/2007 Genre: Symphonic Metal Rating: 4/5
Well my friends the time has come for new music and the mighty Nightwish has welcomed singer Anette Olzon into their ranks and offered up the first single from their upcoming album with the song “Eva”. I guess it’s too early for a servicing of the brand-new full album, so this will have to suffice. Let’s talk a little about this one to generate some additional excitement. The song begins with a solemn piano intro and what sounded like a concertina but could just be one of the many effects Tuomas has under his command. It’s a slow number but the voice of Olzon is warm and compassionate. She’s clearly a different style of vocalist from Tarja and the song itself is not bombastic at all which is a vibe that many have grown accustomed to with Nightwish. Continue reading “Eva” (Single) by Nightwish→
Artist: Nightwish Title: “Highest Hopes: The Best Of Nightwish” Label: Century Media Records Release Date: 10/31/2006 Genre: Symphonic Operatic Metal Rating: 3/5
And so we come to the release of “Highest Hopes: The Greatest Hits of Nightwish”. This single CD collection features some of the bands best material from across the albums that made them famous and allowed them to become one of the most beloved and respected of the Operatic Symphonic Metal groups of all time. I admit that there are some signature tracks missing like “Come Cover Me” and “She Is My Sin” and the die hards would probably also agree that this would have been better if served up as a double disc Anthology package. The group truly had too many good songs to be relegated to a single CD yet despite this some killer stuff is present such as “Over The Hills And Far Away” (the Gary Moore cover), “Dead Boy’s Poem”, and “Nemo”. Marco gets to sing solo on “High Hopes”, which is a Pink Floyd song that does not hold much resemblance to the classic Progressive Rock act. Continue reading “Highest Hopes: The Best Of Nightwish” by Nightwish→
Artist: Nightwish Title: “End Of An Era” Label: Nuclear Blast Records Release Date: 6/26/2006 Genre: Symphonic Metal Rating: 5/5
Fans of the Finnish Symphonic Metal sensation known as Nightwish already know what an incredible live act the band is. Their recent release entitled “The End Of An Era” showcases this quality with absolutely stellar results. The show itself was recorded on the final night of touring for the album “Once” and finds the band in peak form, totally demonstrating that they are experts in the music industry and of this style of Metal. Most of the tunes come from the bands last two albums with the larger part being from “Once” while the other is “Century Child”. The staple songs or classics are few in numbers yet they have been represented on their earlier live recording “From Wishes To Eternity”. Starting off with “Dark Chest Of Wonders” the listener immediately finds the band to be a very heavy live presence and not some refined or orchestrated musical group. The material on “Once” was for the most part a bit heavier than the groups earlier albums and I think they had moved this way in order to defer being pigeonholed among their peers who also had female vocalists. Since Nightwish began their Metal reign, dozens of groups had popped up with some of them being memorable (Epica, Within Temptation and After Forever) while others are more run of the mill clones. From start to finish this is a great live album and is a must have for the Nightwish fan, or even the listener who enjoys a powerful female lead for their strong Melodic Metal. Having seen the group perform a number of times, it was great to hear Tarja, Tuomas, Marco, Emppu and Jakka once again and practically relive the same set that was performed in my Country when they last came to visit. The greatest inclusions on the recording come from tracks like “Ghost Love Score” and “Creek Mary’s Blood”, the latter having the band joined onstage by John Two-Hawks and of course the “hit” from “Once” which is “Nemo”. Why this song never made it to more Rock oriented stations mystifies me. Continue reading “End Of An Era” by Nightwish→
Artist: Nightwish Title: “Century Child” Label: Century Media Records Release Date: 2002 Genre: Operatic Metal Rating: 8/10
When you take the time to consider the more standout bands in the world of Metal nowadays, Nightwish is probably one of the first to come to mind. With each release Nightwish brings you into a diverse world that combines metal with arias and epic orchestrations. Tarja Turunen definitely has one of the best and most beautiful voices to come along in some time. She has led the way for modern metal women of today to find a stronger foothold in the music we love. “Century Child” was the first readily available releases in the USA courtesy of Century Media Records. This is a great CD, and it quickly follows up on the success of “Wishmaster”. Beginning with “Bless The Child” you are quickly drawn into the sound of the band by Tarja’s warm vocals and a very eerie haunting melody. When the “End Of All Hope” kicks in you find that the group can be heavy as they find the need. This number is full of incredible double drumming by Jukka and great guitar wizardry of Emmpu. For those who enjoy a hearty chorus the track “Dead To The World” might be most impressive. I admit that on the CD, these few are actually among my favorites. When Nightwish first played the States a little over a year ago, they performed some these and it made enjoying them all the more easier. Continue reading “Century Child” by Nightwish→
Artist: Nightwish Title: “Once” Label: Roadrunner Records Release Date: 6/7/2004 Genre: Operatic Power Metal Rating: 8/10
Finland’s finest certainly has to be the band Nightwish. For several years they have been raising the bar of operatic styled heavy metal music and continue to astound fans and newcomers alike with each release. Their latest CD entitled “Once” shows that this band still has a fresh amount of ideas and the well they draw from shows no sign of being dry any time soon. The piece does not waste any time in showing how hard it will hit you with opener “Dark Chest Of Wonders”. As a matter of fact I would have to label this release as perhaps the heaviest piece that Nightwish has unleashed on the fanbase. “Wish I Had An Angel” chugs along, and features a lot of bassist Marco Hietala on vocals. This could have easily been a Tarot tune as well. “Creek Mary’s Blood” is a well-put together tune but I found it pretty interesting for Tarja to be singing about the people who came and took over America from the Indians especially being from the lands of the Vikings. The CD is full of the lush orchestrations you expect on a Nightwish piece and this is most apparent in the track “Ghost Love Score”. There really is a lot for the fan of this style of music to sink their teeth into. I would have to say my preferred tracks are all of those that were listed above. I never tire of listening to them. Continue reading “Once” by Nightwish→
