Review Summary: A typical Nightwish album, yet a classic of their catalogue with some really standout tracks, this album manages to convey the melody and fantasy of power metal and combine it with the theatricality of symphonic composers.
I know I've already done two Nightwish albums... but hey, I wanted to do an album everybody likes (or should like, anyway). Nightwish needs no introduction, and I won't give you a biography of these guys (and girl, at this point in time), but you all know the deal, these guys are what you might call symphonic power metal: the speed and energy of power metal and its fantasy lyrics combined with symphonical overtones that also utilise Tarja's operatically trained voice to great effect.
Now, this is a typical Nightwish record. There isn't anything on here that you couldn't find on Oceanborn style-wise; it is a solidification of their earlier work, and the jumping board for their next, which would lead more to the path they have taken later on. But this is still power metal: the riffs are still melodious and high, and power metally (they don't sound as distorted as on Slaying The Dreamer), they are furious and at high speed like power metal is wont to be; but they also lack the vocal variety that Marco would offer in later stages of this band's career.
However, it's also Nightwish making this record, and it is as such a very enjoyable record: a bit much of the same perhaps, but nonetheless, I can sit down to this, put it on, listen to it all the way through and say I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. It already kicks off into a good mood with the opener She Is My Sin, a bombastic work of guitar flurries, uptempo drums, and lyrics about love and (I think) sex. It's a very ace track, and although it is not really a standout for the Nightwish catalogue, it really just blows you away.
A political and social theme is touched on with one of the best Nightwish tracks ever released, a hell of a song called The Kinslayer. It lays the finger on a sore that many feel: murder, in this case the tragic incident at Columbine high school. It portrays the two sides of the story, rather than really pointing the blame at something or someone; it is the victims voices, the grief, the fear, and the total madness at society of the perpetrator that comes through in an excellent composition, a duet of sorts that reminds me of mankind's flaws everytime I hear this. I just cannot stop singing along with the male vocals, and the haunting line: "Good wombs hath borne bad sons." A killer track. (No pun intended.)
Another overtly disturbing and sad track is the mesmerising Dead Boy's Poem. Dealing with the premature death (suicide?) of a young boy, it portrays his sadness at life and his love for the piano and playing concerts... and the feeling that he really has nothing more to give. An excellent heart-wrenching composition, another of my alltime Nightwish favourites. I recommend listening to this, as Tarja does a wonderful job that really makes me want to bow and fall to my knees just to beg mercy from this divine singing goddess.
Wishmaster, Wanderlust and Crownless are all ace power metal tracks, each with their own melody, but the same type of speed, and the first two dealing with fantasy lyrics; I think they were both inspired by (or at least Wishmaster was) by the DragonLance series. All very jumpy and ace tracks, and especially Wishmaster is a fan favourite at live concerts, and I can understand why; it has a lot of energy. All tracks to enjoy listening to; while not above power metal standards musically, it is again Tarja's voice that lifts this album up into the upper reaches of the power metal bastion.
Two for Tragedy is an awesome slow ballad, in the vein of Swanheart, a bit sappy though like all Nightwish ballads are, but hey, it's a part of this band. It's not my favourite track, but does well musically and is definitely a relief from all the power metal bombast. The same goes for Bare Grace Misery. The only song I cannot get into here is the single, Deep Silent Complete. I somehow find this to be a very boring song, maybe it's just me, but I can't get into it at all.
This leaves our epic, FantasMic. Inspired by fairytales and the Disney classics, it is a long epic dealing with the images those create. It is not so much the lyrics that impress here as the grandiose composition of the song. It changes from loud and uptempo in part three, to the slow middle break, all the while incorporating tempo changes, and guitar solos. Emppu has a bigger chance to shine here than on many other albums: imo these solos make Nightwish so good sometimes: they are not just power metal, they are melodic, they are symphonic, they are neoclassical, they are operatic, they are just a level above everything else musically. This is one of their best epics, comparable to the grand class of Ghost Love Score or The Pharaoh Sails To Orion, but without the former's symphonic overtones and the latter's male vocals (I like them, but they get on some people's nerves.)
Overall this is a very solid release with some excellent tracks I consider to be highlights of the Nightwish catalogue. I will not forget the awesomeness that is Dead Boy's Poem or The Kinslayer. This is a highly recommended Nightwish album, it seems to be shoved aside for Oceanborn (which is really a classic power metal album, excellent choice), or the in my opinion mediocre and overblown Once, but it really has its own rightful place in Nightwish and power metal history and I recommend that if you are a fan of this band and the genre, that you get this, because it's musically top-shelf stuff and on top of that, it's just a very enjoyable listen: some albums or tracks I have big trouble getting into (Most of Century Child), but this album is really just very good overall. It is also an excellent way to get into power metal from different angles, because it offers something extra: the neoclassicality and Tarja's voice may make it easier cq. harder to get into this work of art. Timeless.
