Nightwish Once

Tracklist:
1. Dark Chest Of Wonders
2. Wish I Had An Angel
3. Nemo
4. Planet Hell
5. Creek Mary`s Blood
6. The Siren
7. Dead Gardens
8. Romanticide
9. Ghost Love Score
10. Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan
11. Higher Than Hope

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I have always been a fan of symphonic metal, but only when it’s implemented in parts of a song to enhance the epic factor or beauty of it. Even when the orchestra is going full throttle the whole song it’s enjoyable, but when there are more than a few songs like that, it loses its appeal and starts to become annoying. Of course I am being very general, but this is exactly how I felt listening to Once. It’s not a bad album, but I believe it’s truly average outside of personal bias, and here’s why.

The idea of stings complimenting harsh guitars is a very appealing dynamic; not only does it attract metal listeners, but the beautiful nature appeals to a relatively large casual audience. Every music fan including the members of Nightwish already know that, so what could go wrong with making a symphonic metal album? I mean, the guitar parts are usually rhythmatic in their approach and the drums can do whatever they want as long as the strings take center stage during the parts where they’re intended to be emphasized, so it’s (relatively, of course) easy music to make in theory. When you glance at the top of this page and see that ominous 2.5 rating glaring at you, you have to ask me what I think went wrong here. Simply put, well, nothing went necessarily wrong, rather too much right was utilized; there is no variation to be found on the album unless you listen to it enough to distinguish the different elements that make up the album. Of course there’s a slew of albums you have to do that with, but this one is so repetitive that the time it takes to identify each part within a song is enough to lose interest in the monotonous sound. That statement may sound contradicting, but it is describing a self-defeating purpose: listening to a monotonous album enough times to distinguish its parts but getting bored of the monotony in the process.

Now, as repetitive, cheesy, or obnoxious this music is, it’s also beautiful, epic, and wonderfully enjoyable in short bursts. Lead vocalist Tarja Turunen has one of the most captivating and beautiful female voices I’ve heard. Nightwish simply would not be Nightwish if it weren’t for the female vocals, and they certainly add to the atmosphere the music creates. Once in awhile one of the band members contribute man vocals, but I find myself just looking forward to hearing Tarja again, not that his vocals are bad, but hers are just that good. The music that supports her is good, but cheesy as mentioned before. It’s a safe bet to say a good portion of power metal is cheesy, and there’s probably as many people that consider that a good thing as there are that think otherwise. Regardless of whether or not one considers this cheesy, it’s very simplistic, with slim to no guitar leads. Perhaps this is because the stings often take center stage; it’s a full orchestra after all, so the band makes use of this fact by showcasing it very often and very explicitly.

The music here is not bad. It works for what it is supporting (the strings) in the very least. You could argue that the strings are supporting the music, but at the level the strings are implemented on this album, they really support each other with an equal level of metal and orchestra. However, the music is also repetitive, even bland at some points, enough to induce a yawn, which is always a bad thing when that's not the intended effect. Every song brings nothing new to the one it followed, with a few exceptions that I’ll mention at the end of the review. My biggest complaint about Once in a nutshell is this: it beats a good idea to death. So much so that it loses merit a few songs into the album. It’s too bad that some of the album’s best songs are towards the end because unless you absolutely love power metal and have a hard time getting bored with this sound, there’s a good chance you’ll take it out after three or four songs.

This is a great, fun listen every once in awhile. For some of the best female vocals in metal, look no further than here. If you’re not looking for guitar wankery and you’re satisfied with chugging, then this album is for you. What makes it better is the symphonic element, and more often than not, the orchestra deliver some great pieces. Unfortunately, Tarja and the orchestra are the only two things that set Nightwish apart from their power metal peers, so you may just find yourself only listening to this a few more times than once.

Recommended songs:
“Nemo”
“Ghost Love Score”