Nightwish, Once

Nightwish is a Finnish metal symphonic band born in 1996.

I know this band because I saw some fan-made videos on youtube about Final Fantasy and they used the song "Walking in the air" and then "Sleeping sun". That's how I came to know them.

Once is their fifth album released in 2004 and for me, it's the best album of the group. The reason is that I love most of the songs on this album.

There are 11 original titles and 3 bonus songs:

1- Dark Chest of Wonders: A fast and heavy song.

2- Wish I had an Angel: We have bassist Marco and lead singer Tarja combining their voice to make a mixture like the Beauty and the Beast.

3- Nemo is the most famous song of this album. The video is fantastic with Tarja wearing her red coat (reminding me of the red-riding hood).

4 - Planet hell: I don't like it that much :(

5- Creek Mary's Blood: for people who enjoy American civilization, the native American, they will really like it because the group took a native American to sing in it.

6- The Siren: alike the title, we have the impression of being in the seaside with the sound of the sea, the waves, the shells, .... A very nice and calming song.

7- Dead gardens: I don't like that song too so I don't remember it :(

8- Romanticide: poor song, I only remember that it's heavy but apart from that, nothing. May be I'm wrong too.

9- Ghost Love Score: This song is very long (almost 10minutes) but it is always a pleasure to listen to it. It combines symphonic and heavy metal style. There is an instrumental version which is a bit longer (10minutes and 30s :P)

10- Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan: A good song but not my favourite

11- Higher than hope: Soft and melodical song. Like a memory of a beloved person.

Great voice of Tarja Turunen is one of the biggest reason why I like the band but arrangements and lyrics are the reasons why I like this album the most. Their original and inspired cd jacket also make me like this band.

Nightwish released their current album, Once, in the earlier part of 2004, and although it hasn't taken the British Album Charts by storm, it enjoyed the best part of a month holding the number one spot in the European Album Chart.

The first song released from the album, Nemo, climbed immediately to number 7 in the European Singles Charts and spent another week in the Top 10.

The music is a blend of Gothic Rock, Heavy Metal and Classical Music. The main singer is a classical singer and has an amazing voice. Combined with the superb music, Nightwish form a beautifully contrasted and perfectly original band. This album shows this in its best form.

The music on this album is all very tuneful and has a great beat. It also forms a perfect blend with there being both heavy and lighter songs on the album. This means that whatever type of Rock you're into, there should be something on there for every Rock fan.

This is a brilliant album by a sadly almost unknown band in Britain. Look out for it, you won't regret it.