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NightwishOnce Roadrunner/UMG After being captivated with the single Nemo (from the recently released soundtrack to 'Resident Evil: Apocalypse') I was quite eager to hear a full album from acclaimed European metal act Nightwish. Although I had expected it to be quite impressive, 'Once' has managed to exceed any expectations. The album possesses one of those indescribably surreal feelings which so many artists from the black and Gothic metal genre try (and fail) to capture. Siren's lyric of "A lady with a violin playing to the seals" is a perfect example of the imagery in their lyrics. Nightwish manages to take what would ordinarily be quite simple songs, and turn them into an atmospheric experience. With a sound resemblant of such acts as Lacuna Coil, Dark Tranquillity, The Gathering and (dare I say) even Evanescence, Nightwish deliver edgy gothic undertones with beautifully constructed symphonies by keyboardist and primary songwriter Tuomas Holopainen, with the "snowcap on the mountain" being the use of classically trained opera singer Tarja Turunen as lead vocalist. As if this wouldn't equal a breathtaking enough sound, Nightwish also call upon the talents of The Acadamy of St. Martins in the Field Orchestra (responsible for the score to 'The Lord of The Rings') who turn an already captivating piece into something beyond epic. I'd never heard of Nightwish prior to receiving this album, despite the group having released four other albums, and hence I'm unable to comment on the bands progression or changes exhibited on 'Once,' but I can tell you that from the powerfully orchestrated opening Dark Chest of Wonders to the slow symphonic closing of Higher than Hope, Nightwish make you want to dance, mosh, laugh, cry, and experience just about every other emotion in between. If momentous European metal is your thing, you can't afford to look past this recording.  |
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