Nightwish - Once
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CD Details
Artist: NightwishEdition: Music CD
Format: Extra tracks
CD Release Date: 2004-10-05
Music Label: Roadrunner Records
Soundtracks:
- Dark Chest Of Wonders
- Wish I Had An Angel
- Nemo
- Planet Hell
- Creek Mary?s Blood
- The Siren
- Dead Gardens
- Romanticide
- Ghost Love Score
- Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan
- Higher Than Hope
- White Night Fantasy
- Live To Tell The Tale
Music reviews of Once
Music Review: Another Beautiful Nightwish Masterpiece
Rating: 4 Stars
(Please be warned that this is a very long review. I evaluate each song, but after that are the flaws and a quick list of what's nice if you just want to hear about that)
I've been a fan of Nightwish for only one year, yet I've managed to pick up all of their "main" albums but Angels Fall First. I've listened to Oceanborn, Wishmaster, Century Child, Over the Hills and Far Away, and now Once. I was a bit nervous to try out Once, because when I first heard it, it was on a site with close to no quality in their audio (oops on my part). However, after hearing Nemo and Wish I Had an Angel over and over again, I gave it a try.
Two days later, I feel I have listened to the songs over and over again to evaluate it enough. While on my first listen I was blown away, I have cooled down and can meet the flaws of the album. Mind you, it IS beautiful, and will probably shortly replace Century Child in my CD Player, but it is not perfect.
I think I will review each song separately, then summarize my feelings at the end.
Dark Chest of Wonders - 5/5 - Just... Wow. I was blown away when I first heard it. It's hard and heavy. It's just gorgeous. The orchestra sounds lovely. This is also one of the few songs on the album that makes good use of the choir; they are not used for most of the song, but a rather interesting beginning to each verse. Tarja actually sings the chorus, which is nice. Everything just blends beautifully in this beginning song. It's one of my favorites.
Wish I Had an Angel - 3/5 - While this was the song that made me buy the album, it is not the best. In fact, it is very mediocre compared to the others. I like the guitars and general melody, but Tarja doesn't sound as great as she normally does, and Marco's voice does not sound nice. It is catchy, and it is nice and heavy, but it's not Nightwish's best. And watch out for the video. You get a bunch of head banging and Tarja doing "Victoria Secret" poses as Ceido pointed out earlier. It's good enough to make me listen to it once in a while, but not so great that I can listen to it over and over anymore.
Nemo - 4/5 - A pretty song with a nice mix of the band and a pretty piano. Tarja sounds nice in the chorus, as always. It's not as heavy as the first two songs, which is a nice break (though I like things nice and heavy). However, it is not my favorite; unfortunately, I can't quite say what it is. It is in general a very pretty song, but not the best in the album, and just something about it doesn't seem quite right. Perhaps I just listened to it too many times.
Planet Hell - 4.5/5 - The male choir is a really cool beginning, but somehow the full choir coming in loses its feeling. However, the song makes up for it. Marko actually sounds RIGHT in this song! He really helps the song instead of worsening it, and actually sounds nice against Tarja's vocals (which sound best in the chorus. Uh, again). The choir really wasn't necessary during the chorus, but it doesn't detract too much.
Creek Mary's Blood - 5/5 - I really like this song. While some may not like the intermingling of Native American themes with metal, I really think it gives it a very nice touch. The chanting is very pretty, as is the flute (I think it's a flute?). Of course, Tarja sounds great, and surprisingly she sounds great in both the chorus and normal verses! This is one of those rare songs that I liked most when it was quiet and not too heavy, though the heavy chorus was still pretty. Generally a very sad song, but beautiful nonetheless.
The Siren - 3/5 - I don't like this song all that much. The beginning is cool, but once everyone starts singing... Eh. It goes downhill. Tarja doesn't sound as nice as she normally does, and really, the best singing comes from the "Oh, Oh, Oh, Oooooh" after Tarja sings a bit, and near the middle. Marko doesn't sound wonderful once again. Honestly, the song has a gorgeous melody and may have been best as an instrumental; the singing is poor.
Dead Gardens - 2/5 - The Siren at least had a good melody. Dead Gardens doesn't even manage that one. It is very repetitive, in melody and singing. Tarja shouldn't have repeated/dragged out (I can't tell which one she's doing; maybe both) the words of some songs; it makes her sound very silly. The whispering near the middle isn't bad, but unnecessary, and the chorus is probably the best part (even that isn't too great).
Romanticide - 3/5 - "Aie! Dead Gardens repeated?!" was my first thought. The beginning sounds nearly identical to Dead Gardens, and the "Oh!"'ing is silly in this song. Tarja sounds better than she did before, but I am not overly fond of the melody... Until the chorus comes (yeah, yet again). After the first chorus comes (around 2min 32s), though, things improve considerably. The melody picks up, Tarja sounds better, and the drumming becomes really nice. The whispering and screaming near the end really ruin it, however; it sounds like Nightwish decided to try being truly metal, and it didn't work.
Ghost Love Score - 5/5 - I love it. I can't describe it. People may say it's overrated, but damn it's GORGEOUS. The choir is actually used properly again. The orchestra is beautiful. Tarja sounds wonderful. Marko is out of the picture (poor guy; I may sound unkind, but I just don't like his voice). The band sounds great. Nightwish chose to grab everything (but Marko's voice) and pack it together, and it worked! Definitely one of Nightwish's best, and the chorus actually sounds beautiful having the choir sing it. I could (and do!) listen to this song many times in a row without pause. While most may not like the repeating of the chorus at the end, I really like it. The song may be long, but I personally love the long songs. Just beautiful...
Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan - 4/5 - At first, I didn't like this song, probably because Ghost Love Score was before it. I've listened to the native Finnish language in songs before, and thus hearing Tarja sing it wasn't strange for me. It was just so slow, and I'm not one for the slower songs. However, after a few more listens, the sad melody and Tarja complement each other well. It is rather pretty, as long as you don't mind how soft it is (I like the heavy songs. Can't help it; it can drown out my silly family well!). It's one of the Nightwish songs that need more than one listen to be really appreciated.
Higher than Hope - 4/5 - The beginning lacks a bit -- the strings just doesn't sound too great until 1min. Then the chorus comes in; while it isn't the best part (gasp!), it does help bring the song up a notch and get rid of the poor beginning. The strings blend together with the rest nicely, and while the song sounds VERY familiar to previous ones, it at least is not as bad as they are! At 3min 12s, what sounds like a radio newscast or something comes in; it sounds like it was added to the song, and while I can't quite tell what he's saying, it probably deals with the song's lyrics (or maybe it's the other way around). Another song that will most likely need more than one listen.
White Night Fantasy (Bonus Track) - 2/5 - I don't like this song. The beginning is rather pretty, but once Tarja comes in, it, surprisingly, goes downhill. I agree with many others; Tarja sounds silly here. Her voice is practically squeaky, and she sounds untrained. She sounds lovely during the chorus, but the melody seems generally cliched and it just isn't a good song.
Live to Tell the Tale - 4/5 - It starts off reminding me of Christmas music; thankfully, it goes away from that and becomes Nightwish. You can still hear the Christmas music in the background, but it's drowned out. It is a very pretty song, with Tarja sounding lovely in more than just the chorus. It's basically the same story as Higher than Hope - Sounds very similar to other songs, but does a better job.
----
In general, seven of the eleven original songs are a good listen, which seems to be what I generally get from a good Nightwish track. Of the two bonus tracks, one is a good listen; again, Nightwish quality. Here are its flaws:
Chorus the best part: Notice how almost every time, the chorus was the best part? This isn't normal. Previous Nightwish albums had beautiful choruses, yes, but they weren't always the best part. Over the Hills and Far Away had a great chorus, but the normal verses were great too; Astral Romance didn't even NEED a chorus to be great. Here, you practically wait for the chorus for the song to get really good. If Nightwish makes another album, they should try to make the entire song memorable, not just the chorus.
Choir Overused: The choir was only truly awesome in two songs: Dark Chest of Wonders and Ghost Love Score. They appeared in plenty more, but it was overused and didn't sound right. Furthermore, they sounded best when actually SAYING something. After a few songs, I got tired of just hearing the choir sing "Oh". If that's all the room you have for them, leave them out; the song will be better.
Variety: Variety lacked. Dead Gardens, Romanticide, Higher than Hope, and Live to Tell the Tale sounded far too similar. If it weren't for their own unique additions, Dark Chest of Wonders, The Siren, and Planet Hell would probably sound similar to them as well. That's seven out of thirteen songs. Previous Nightwish albums have had good variety, with each song being unique; even Wishmaster, one of my least favorites, had some variety. Once lacks that variety; the songs are beautiful, but variety would make them unique and make them so easier to remember.
---
There are other minor things, but I won't mention them. Now, what's good about this album? Well, the orchestra is beautiful in nearly every song, Tarja sounds great, Marco doesn't sound silly all the time, the songs that are epic ARE exceptional, and the band sounds good when they actually try a bit of variety.
Ultimately, it's Nightwish material. It has its flaws, but it is beautiful regardless. While I would not recommend you start off with it if you're new to Nightwish, if you're a Nightwish fan like me, I think you can appreciate it.
Have fun, and happy listening!
Description of Once
You may not know Nightwish yet, but the Finnish goth-orchestral-metal band is a phenomenon throughout the rest of the world. The group's fifth album, the platinum-certified Once, hit #1 over the summer on the Pan-European charts, and stayed there for three weeks. Behind them? The Beastie Boys, Avril Lavigne, Norah Jones and Usher, among others. So who or what is this band? On first listen, 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.Nightwish formed as, of all things, an acoustic-based band in Kitee, Finland in 1997, though they quickly switched to a hard rock sound. Within a year the group had released its debut album, Angels Fall Fast, which featured the first hit single, "The Carpenter." Their second release, Oceanborn, landed in the Top Five in Finland, and featured three hit singles. By the time Wishmaster came out in 2000, Nightwish was a top concert draw and one of the most critically acclaimed metal bands in all of Europe. Thanks to the on-going buzz, the group was also able to land U.S. distribution for the first time. Nightwish's 4th studio effort came in the form of Century Child, which was the product of one of the most tumultuous periods in the band's career. It marked the grand entrance of Marco Hietala, a metal icon in his own right in his homeland. With Hietala's dual contribution to the band (bass and backing vocals), they were able to put forth some of their darkest, most aggressive material ever.But Once is Nightwish's breakthrough, both in its epic scope and brilliant songwriting. Disgruntled Metallica fans may find a new axe-god in Emppu Vuorinen, who has quickly become one of the most brutal (and tech-savvy) guitarists in metal. Behind him is a seamless blend of top-notch musicianship and orchestral bombardment (much of which is provided by The Academy of St. Martins in the Field, who scored the Lord of the Rings trilogy). 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. Then, on the other side, is the rough-and-tumble "Romanticide," a violent kiss-off that ends with bassist / back-up singer Hietala scowling "Spit on me, let go, get rid of me / And try to survive your stupidity" over one of the most headbanging riffs of the last five years.So, are you ready for Nightwish?Alternative Rock CDs
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