Mmm... Nightwish. The mere name of this band makes my brain excited and my mouth drool with juicy saliva. Their symphonic elements, the melody incorporated in their songs, the epic nature... I could go on for an age and be the worst Nightwish fanboy this world has ever known.
Heh. But that's not why this newbie is at sputnik writing reviews of his favourite albums. It's because he wants to point out what is so good about Nightwish, what flaws them, and what really just ensures that putting this band into your mp3 player and listening to it makes you feel like you're in the seventh heaven.
Now, Century Child is in my opinion Nightwish's worst album. That's not to say it's a bad album, because it definitely isn't, and it has some classic tracks on it, it's just that this is the album I can least get into. But all the trademark Nightwish elements are still there. There are still slow passages with Tarja's near ethereal voice, there still are heavy riffs, and, there is a new bass player that can also sing. (His name is Marco Hietala, and we all know him, so blah.)
Marco, in my opinion, was a good addition to the band, since he can take over live when Tarja needs a break, he does more things for songs than Sami did, and, it ensures that more tracks can be made into epic duets. No more guest singers for Beauty And The Beast; Marco is here to save the day! His hair does make him look like he has a yellow hood, but whatever.
Nightwish is a bit unsure on this album. There's still some of their traditional power metal style found on Oceanborn and Wishmaster which I really am in love with, but they're adding more and more symphonic metal elements. It's quite a transition cd, and the thing is: Nightwish are trying to eat off two plates here, and that doesn't really work in my opinion. It makes some songs slightly boring and non-interesting.
However, there are some real standout tracks on this album. Slaying the Dreamer is a headbangfest with some violently growled vocals from Marco that just make you want to murder the next liar you see. Heavy, fast, aggressive are the key words to sum up this track. It was one of the first songs I heard (The first was Nemo, the second was She Is My Sin, the third was this one, and the fourth was Ghost Love Score). It works like a charm, and this is the most aggressive song Nightwish have ever done. Kudos.
Dead To The World still has that old Wishmaster feel except for the deeper and seemingly drop-tuned guitar riffs. It's also quite fast and catchy, and the break in the middle is genuinely mind-breakingly excellently stunningly amazingly astounding. Marco's lines work well in this song. Tarja is not really at her best performance on this song, but it doesn't really matter; Marco and Tuomas are what make this song shine.
Forever Yours is an annoying ballad, though. It's okay, but it's not my cup of tea, and if you want Nightwish ballads, you're better off with Ever Dream, Walking In The Air, or Dead Boy's Poem in my opinion. Ocean Soul is equally boring and drags on like a slug in chains. You've just had Slaying the Dreamer, so I can imagine the placement of Forever Yours, but Ocean Soul.... what is it doing there? I don't get it.
End of All Hope is another excellent track, heavy, quick, but not aggressive because Marco doesn't really do any interesting here. If you're into the heavy stuff, don't get this album because it's basically just "Slaying The Dreamer" and that's it.
Phantom Of The Opera is the obligatory Nightwish cover which is executed flawlessly by the band and really sounds well overall. It has Marco and Tarja in a kind of duet-like setting which really works well. It's an awesome song, Nightwish have talent for their covers (see also Over The Hills And Far Away, Walking In The Air).
Beauty Of The Beast is a cool song and an okay epic track, but it's a little too long in my opinion, and it's a little draggy. It's good, but it's not a classic like Ghost Love Score or FantasMic. It also is a little too slow to end the album with, because it feels like the whole momentum of the album has just been killed after Slaying the Dreamer. The album is slow, dreamy, but a little whiny and in general it just drags on too long for me. After I've passed Slaying The Dreamer I'm like "Okay, we've had 5 good tracks. Let's see what the rest of the album has to offer." By the time I'm at Ocean Soul, I'm feeling a little dizzy, by the time I'm at Phantom Of The Opera I'm asleep. I don't know what that is, but after Slaying the Dreamer I've just got the feeling that this album has been long enough for me. Maybe it should have been an EP.
Overall this is a good album, but slower than the general Nightwish barring Slaying The Dreamer. If you want to relax and sit down, it's your man, but I prefer other albums. If you want to get into Nightwish, get Oceanborn or Wishmaster in my opinion.
