Nightwish Album: “Once [Bonus Tracks]”

Nightwish has produced several exceptional albums, but this time they managed to top themselves. Once has that "it" appeal...it is bombastic, and yet still accessible. The album offers a great variety of tones, moods, and sounds that will satisfy any taste, and will thrill metal fans who search for originality.

From the opening number "Dark Chest of Wonders", you hear the great orchestral arrangement that compliments the music so well. It is basically like hearing a heavy metal movie soundtrack. There is a lot going on, but somehow, it works. And it works to damn near perfection. This track alone is worth the purchase, but it continues with the 2 songs that could help the band breakout here in the states, "Wish I Had An Angel" and "Nemo". The brilliant thing about these tracks is while each of them maintains intense musicianship, they both have big hooks that will be embraced by a more mainstream audience. And at the same time, they will satisfy even the most jaded metal fan. The assault continues with "Planet Hell", easily the albums most fierce song, and goes through a rollercoaster of changes as the album continues.

Opera and metal meet in perfect harmony. Who would have thought?

Music lovers, prepare to meet your match - it is hard to find any album that boasts to be as large as this one. While this album takes back from the more metal approach of previous albums and boasts of the outstanding production value brought on by the Phoenix Orchestra (which was used by Pip Williams for the Lord of the Rings movie scores), the album still is an engrossing listen on repeat for time on end. The lushous mix of Tarja's vocals, when combined with the masterful arrangements of Tuomas and unity of the bands playing helps make this an album to remember for any music fan.

As for the songs, Dark Chest of Wonders is an example of the superb arrangement - the mix of the orchestra with choirs, gorgeous vocals by Tarja, and impressive sound overall is to die for. The album doesn't stop right there though, as most would, with the introduction of the second surprise, Wish I Had an Angel. For those who love electronica & industrial will love this song easily, as it is a genre breaker with Marco's & Tarja's duet, a steady beat characteristic of techno, great guitar riffs & use of the background orchestra, and excellent panning. Music lovers might expect more of the same variety from the first two songs, but are misled with the third song, a slower song featuring an amazing arrangement - Nemo surprises deeply with its use of primarily Tarja's vocals in a dispassionate way throughout most of the songs to set the mood, and to bring the piece to fruition through the second half in drawing that lack of passion into a yearning for more with a "fuller" voice. The fourth song, Planet Hell, is also a nice song of the metal variety. However, another bombshell is dropped with Creek Mary's Blood, and epic song that makes full use of the orchestra and Tarja's vocals. Dead Gardens is another delightful song, and Romanticide is more candy for those who like Planet Hell, except featuring Tarja's voice in her full range of skill in singing and shifting styles within the song. However, the ninth song, Ghost Love Score, is not to be dismissed - it is a full-blown song, pulling no stops in its over the top arrangement, orchestration, choirs, and band's playing ability. The album winds down with the Finnish song Kuolema Tekee Taijteilijan, a very nice and melancholy song...but then the (original release) album ends with a bang with the choral assault of Higher Than Hope, which boasts of great use of the acoustic guitar, choir, and of course, the band.

The bonus two songs, Live to Tell the Tale and White Night Fantasy are not bad in themselves, but in an album in which the orchestration helps define most of the songs, these just sound underwhelming. However, they are nice listens, and Live to Tell the Tale has a catchy melody. They are different from the previous songs though, and enjoyable on their own merits.

Overall, this is easily one of the most addicting albums of all time - my music collection boasts of around 30,000 songs, and this album gets a listen several times a week because it is that good. For those who love music in general, and don't confine their tastes/preferences to just one genre should appreciate this album greatly, because it is a musical dream that is seldom realized.

First off, I must respond to the other reviewers... this album IS metal. Saying it isn't leads people to believe that there is NOTHING but the orchestra on here, and that's simply not true. The guitars are actually supported by the orchestra in this one... they work together better than on Century Child, despite actually being heavier.

I'll now proceed to give my two cents on each track.

Dark Chest of Wonders- 9/10 The track itself is a superb opening for the album, with hard guitars and the choir... but Tarja's spoken intro makes me cringe every time.

Wish I Had An Angel- 10/10 I admit that it's radio ready, but that's not a bad thing... Marco and Tarja's chorus duet makes this song a memory.

Nemo- 9/10- Couldn't quite give it 10, but this is a SOLID track, the first single, and the way Ocean Soul from Century Child should have sounded, in my opinion.

Planet Hell- 10/10 Welcome to the hard side, folks. This is one of Nightwish's most crushing songs, with Marco doing his metal bit, Tarja showing off her operatic voice a bit more, and some massive guitar work. If you've had a bad day... :)

Creek Mary's Blood- 10/10 Rating for completely different reasons. Native Americans deserve a great many more tributes like this. Ballad. That's all I can say... grab a tissue.

The Siren- 10/10 I haven't figured out what key/mode this thing is in, but for weird tonalities, you can't beat this thing. Electric violin solo WILL give you chills, promise.

Dead Gardens- 8/10 A bit generic, although pleasant sounding. This one might have done better on Century Child, or even Wishmaster. For the record, I consider Century Child a stepping stone from Wishmaster to Once... it's the beginning of a new sound, and a great start, but not quite there YET.

Romanticide- 9/10 Excellent, but not as original as the others... really heavy guitars, and the customary reference to the Dead Boy.

Ghost Love Score- 10/10 HE CAN WRITE FOR CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTS! Let doubters repent, for this is the perfect song for a movie... where mediocrity won't be accepted.

Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan- 9/10 Just Tarja and Tuomas here, no guitar. Their first song in Finnish, wonderfully done, except not enough variation. Think "Forever Yours" with a bit more chords and about the same amount of melodic figures.

Higher Than Hope- 10/10 The second the chorus hits you, you are going to melt. Very hard chorus, very soft verses, and for the first listen, do not be driving. Wow.

White Night Fantasy- 6/10 Sorry, but this song shouldn't have been put on here. Tarja sings on pitch, but really cheesy melody and such. Not a fan, but since it's a bonus track, I leave the rating at 5 stars.

Live To Tell the Tale- 8/10 Sounds a bit like Dead Gardens to me, but more major key work, an awesome keyboard opening, and better singing than the previous track. Heavy guitars for the closer, a good choice for last bonus song.

The video, btw, is a performance style video, and worth a watch. I know this was long, but I didn't see any reviews giving a good run down on the tracks. Enjoy!

Yes, I'm serious. It is the best album I have ever heard, ever. I don't just mean by Nightwish--I mean ever. Better than Carole King's Tapestry. Better than Elton's Goodbye Yellowbrick Road. Better than anything the Who has done (and they've done some amazing stuff). Better than...you get the point.

If you like the best singer ever, coupled to amazingly-arranged orchestral compositions tinged with metal and darkness, you'll like this. In fact, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, you'll like this.

Prepare yourself for a musical style that no one matches. At first, you might feel like the music lacks organization, or jumps around too much. As you listen, though, you'll realize that not only does Nightwish know what they're doing, they've created a musical style that is unique.

And if you want to hear the best line ever sung on popular music ever, check out Tarja's high note on "Planet Hell." It comes about 1:35 into the piece, as she sings "Behold this fair creation of God." Haunting, stunning, unbelievable.

Do not listen to the kid below, jusdging by his "must buy" albums, he has very little knowledge of good music. This album is Nightwish's best thus far. I think many people (including myself) were left wanting a bit more from preivous releases. They were no doubt good, but not really as heavy as I would have liked. I think things started to change when Marco joined the band as Century Child is much closer to the sound of this album than the other ones. It's probably that he's just a more dynamic bass player than the other guy. The addition of the full orchestra really takes the atmosphere and epicness to a new level. Every song is just a wall of sound although my absolute faves would be Nemo, The Siren, and Dead Gardens. All in all this album is a masterpiece truly showcasing the talent of this great band from Finland. This is a must buy