Once

Once is an incredible achievement for Nightwish and there isn't a single track that disappoints or feel you want to skip. Particular stand out tracks are Planet Hell, which starts off with an orchestration piece that sounds like the sound track to a battle from Lord of the Rings. You can almost imagine two armies coming together bristtling with weaponry and then the guitars kick in and all hell breaks loose!! After this track you have the emotional Creek Mary's Blood, which tells the tale of the plight of the Native Americans. This track builds at one segment to a point where you can almost hear the medicine man dancing and calling us to war! The albums grandest track though is saved until track 9. Ghost Love Score is a song of pure technical brilliance. At ten minutes long, for me personally, this track alone deserves to be the reason to purchase this album. The orchestra pieces on Ghost Love Score are the best to be found anywhere on the album, at times taking the song off on inspired and breathtaking tangents, and then bringing you right back from this journey to the where the song started. I don't lie when i tell you that when you listen to this song the hairs will tingle on the back of your neck and arms. After this track we are treated to a track sung in Tarja's native Finnish language, which although you might not understand the lyrics, still proves an awesome showcase for Tarja's incredible voice. This version of the album ends with the track Higher Than Hope, which is also a brilliant track. If however you purchase the limited edition UK version, you are treated to a further two previously unreleased tracks - White Night Fantasy and Live To Tell The Tale, which are equally as good as everything else on the album. If you are looking for an album with amazing vocals, insanely dynamic riffs with a film score esque edge then look no further. Once awaits you with open arms!

'old loves they die hard, old lies they die harder...'

Incidentally, I regard "Nemo" as one of the less interesting songs on the album since in my opinion it lacks some of the depth present on most of the other tracks. My expectations were therefore mixed. I think I was expecting something like a watered-down, "softened" version of Nightwish's music. "Nemo" is a very catchy, chart compatible piece, after all.

So when the CD started to play, I was totally blown away by a heavyness that I actually hadn't associacted with Nightwish in general up to that moment. I immediately knew that I was in for something very, very special.

Many listenings later I can now say with all sincerity that the CD I bought on that sunny but slightly boring Monday will probably become one of the few titles that make it into my "all-time essentials" list of albums. I'm talking about roughly 10 CDs out of hundreds from all kinds of genres. That list includes names like The Cure, Pink Floyd, Bach, The Sisters of Mercy, Autechre (errm, yes I listen to a wide range of styles).

I could go into the individual elements that contribute to the greatness of "Once". The crystal-clear production. The flawless songwriting and composition. The unstoppable energy of a more powerful than ever bass/drums/guitar battery. The way this is perfectly juxtaposed to keyboards and live orchestra. Tarja's voice that has never been more multi-faceted, seductive and, well, beatiful. The way ethnic influences enrich the compositions and arrangements without ever being preposterous. The urgency, the poignancy, the larger-than-life drama.

But trying to describe the experience of this album seems almost futile.

The level of refinement and sophistication Nightwish have reached on "Once" is something that a vast majority of artists never achieve during their whole career. This is not about being "symphonic metal", "power metal" or any kind of genre, sub-genre or sub-sub-genre anymore. This is a musical milestone that plays in the same leage as the most semimal works by bands like Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden or Metallica, who transcended a genre and created something that stood apart from (and possibly above) everything else that had been there before.

At least this is the impression "Once" has made on me. Let me add maybe, that my approach to this wonderful music was not that of a "metal head". Yes, I like metal, and I listen to almost all styles from power to black, but I am primarily a music lover. Music is one of the most important things in my life, and I don't really care if people call it metal, house, jazz, classical, techno or noise - as long as it provides me with a medium for my mind to travel in, moves me, gives me goose bumbs and brings tears to my eyes.

Every Once in a while I find something very, very special in my constant search for such music. Thank you, Nightwish, for having created one of those gems.

Unlike many contemporary rock bands which focus on the radio friendly 4 minute formula, there is a huge range of songs within this album.
With the opener 'Dark Chest of Wonders' Nightwish charge out of the traps, playing heavy, progressive metal of the highest order .
Wish I Had an Angel, Dead Gardens , Romanticide and the excellent The Siren all follow in its wake alongside the less heavy but equally progressive, Higher than Hope
Nemo is about as commercial as Nightwish get and it provides both a catchy signature tune for the album and an easy in for new listeners.
Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan is a lovely ballad sung in the bands native Finnish and proves that understanding the words isn't always as important as appreciating the beautiful sounds a vocalist can make.
The epics 'Creek Marys Blood' and the stupendous ' Ghost Love Story' show Nightwish at their most orchestral and operatic.
Only Planet Hell disappoints, sounding like a throwback to some of the less successful tunes on Wishmaster .

Overall this is an album that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys progressive metal. Its one of the best works in the genre .