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 Gardens
8. Romanticide
9. Ghost Love Score
10. Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan
11. Higher Than Hope

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1773 in Music
• Released on: 2004-06-07
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

About the Artists
Following in the footsteps of the Gathering and Lacuna Coil (goth-influenced "symphonic" metal bands with female vocalists), Nightwish were formed in Kitee, Finland, in 1997 by keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen. Initially attempting to create acoustic music, he recruited trained opera vocalist Tarja Turunen, but soon added full metal-band instrumentation in the persons of guitarist Emppo Vuorinen, bassist Sami Vänskä, and drummer Jukka Nevalainen. The band's demos landed them a contract with the Finnish label Spinefarm, which released their debut album Angels Fall First in late 1997 (it appeared in the rest of Europe the following year). The follow-up, Oceanborn, appeared in late 1998 and made Nightwish a bonafide mainstream success in their homeland; the album reached the Finnish Top Five and spun off three Top Ten singles. The band toured Europe heavily, consolidating their success, and in 2000 recorded their third album Wishmaster. Not only did it top the Finnish charts, but it also became the group's first album to be released in the US (by Century Media, which reissued their previous albums in 2001 as well). --All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

Read the reviews then you must buy this album!
If you had to sum this album up in one word that word would be 'Epic'. From the moment you press play on the CD player and hear the first few words 'Once i had a dream...and this is it!' you know you're in for one hell of a ride as the first riff practically tears you out of your seat sends you on a journey that even Frodo would break a sweat at! This is an extremely well produced album from start to finish with segments of orchestration working to awesome effect with the heavy riffing of the guitars. I'm a massive Metallica fan but this makes their S&M album (Metallica performing with an orchestra) sound like a garbage can being beaten with a stick! Yes I know that they're two completely different types of heavy metal but you feel that the orchestra sound didn't actually do anything for Metallica's music.

Once is an incredible achievement for Nightwish and there isn't a single track that disappoints or feel you want to skip. Particular stand out tracks are Planet Hell, which starts off with an orchestration piece that sounds like the sound track to a battle from Lord of the Rings. You can almost imagine two armies coming together bristtling with weaponry and then the guitars kick in and all hell breaks loose!! After this track you have the emotional Creek Mary's Blood, which tells the tale of the plight of the Native Americans. This track builds at one segment to a point where you can almost hear the medicine man dancing and calling us to war! The albums grandest track though is saved until track 9. Ghost Love Score is a song of pure technical brilliance. At ten minutes long, for me personally, this track alone deserves to be the reason to purchase this album. The orchestra pieces on Ghost Love Score are the best to be found anywhere on the album, at times taking the song off on inspired and breathtaking tangents, and then bringing you right back from this journey to the where the song started. I don't lie when i tell you that when you listen to this song the hairs will tingle on the back of your neck and arms. After this track we are treated to a track sung in Tarja's native Finnish language, which although you might not understand the lyrics, still proves an awesome showcase for Tarja's incredible voice. This version of the album ends with the track Higher Than Hope, which is also a brilliant track. If however you purchase the limited edition UK version, you are treated to a further two previously unreleased tracks - White Night Fantasy and Live To Tell The Tale, which are equally as good as everything else on the album. If you are looking for an album with amazing vocals, insanely dynamic riffs with a film score esque edge then look no further. Once awaits you with open arms!

'old loves they die hard, old lies they die harder...'

Brilliant ! A band that are genuinely progressing
Finally, an album where the production quality and orchestration are a match for the bands obvious ambition.
Nightwish's previous albums have all had their fine moments and they have been making great music for many years. Century Child was a really good album and this one builds on the best elements and takes the further.

Unlike many contemporary rock bands which focus on the radio friendly 4 minute formula, there is a huge range of songs within this album.
With the opener 'Dark Chest of Wonders' Nightwish charge out of the traps, playing heavy, progressive metal of the highest order .
Wish I Had an Angel, Dead Gardens , Romanticide and the excellent The Siren all follow in its wake alongside the less heavy but equally progressive, Higher than Hope
Nemo is about as commercial as Nightwish get and it provides both a catchy signature tune for the album and an easy in for new listeners.
Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan is a lovely ballad sung in the bands native Finnish and proves that understanding the words isn't always as important as appreciating the beautiful sounds a vocalist can make.
The epics 'Creek Marys Blood' and the stupendous ' Ghost Love Story' show Nightwish at their most orchestral and operatic.
Only Planet Hell disappoints, sounding like a throwback to some of the less successful tunes on Wishmaster .

Overall this is an album that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys progressive metal. Its one of the best works in the genre .

I'm gobsmacked
listening to this as I write, the other reviews pretty much cover this, but I just had to write, how can such class go un noticed. Maybe it's better to keep this from the mainstream dross. This is too good in it's whole. I will be getting more of their stuff, emmotional, epic, awesome beyond words, maybe just maybe better than Within Temptation. Just got into these guy's as well, it's close. Ahh what the hell I'll listen to that next and enjoy. Everyone who pretends to be a music fan should be made/ forced to listen to this... nuff said. Top class!!!!