Ranking the Discography: Nightwish Part III: Wishmaster (2000)

Wishmaster debuted at #1 in Nightwish’s native Finland, marking the first time the band did so. The band continued to be inspired by fantasy, but a few songs delved into other inspirations. The album was produced by Tero Kinnunen.

Members:

Tarja Turunen: vocals

Empuu Vuorinen: guitar, songwriting

Sami Vänskä: bass

Tuomas Holopainen: keyboards, lyrics, songwriting

Jukka Nevalainen: drums, percussion

1. “She is My Sin”: The drums and keyboard are great on this opener.
2. ” The Kinslayer”: This was written about the Columbine massacre. It’s one of my favorite songs.
3. “Come Cover Me”: This starts with a quote from Shakespeare’s 9th Sonnet. The guitar sounds awesome.
4. ” Wanderlust “: A beautiful ballad with stirring orchestration.
5. ” Two For Tragedy “: This song alludes to the Fall of Eden.
6. ” Wishmaster”: I love the backing vocals on this. The song references Lord of the Rings.
7. “Bare Grace Misery”: Another song with a Shakespearean reference, this time “The Rape of Lucrece”. It also alludes to Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” and ” The Little Match Girl”.
8. “Crownless”: Another Lord of the Rings song, referencing Aragorn and the fabled Sword in the Stone.
9. ” Deep Silent Complete”: Tuomen calls this song his “tribute to the mighty power of the oceans.” It references two more Shakespearean Sonnets, # 93 and #17.
10. “Dead Boy’s Poem “: This mournful tune references Shakespearean Sonnet #72
11. ” Fantasmic”: This song quotes several Disney songs.
12. “Sleepwalker”: This was originally included on the Japanese release, and performed at EuroVision.

Final Verdict: We’re getting close to where I first got into the band. I really enjoyed this album.

Grade: A

Ranking the Discography: Nightwish Part II: Oceanborn (1998)

(note: I like the European cover art better than the American cover art, so I’m using that instead.)

For their second album, Nightwish became a more bombastic, power metal band. They also added a new bassist, marking their first album as a quintet.

Members:

Tarja Turunen: vocals

Tuomas Holopainen: keyboards, backing vocals

Empuu Vuorinen: guitar

Sami Vänskä: bass

Jukka Nevalainen: drums, percussion

The Tracks:

1. “Stargazers”: The guitars and keyboards sound excellent, and I like the new direction for the lyrics.
2. ” Gethsemane “: Like “The Carpenter” , this song is inspired by the story of Jesus, focusing on his crucifixion. It’s one of the best songs on the album.
3. “Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean”: In this song, a mermaid encounters the Anti-Christ. While the instrumentation is excellent, I don’t care for the vocals.
4. ” Sacrament of Wilderness “: This was the first single to reach #1 in their native Finland. Another one of my favorites.
5. ” Passion and the Opera”: I like the drumming on this one.
6. “Swanheart”: I love the guitars on this one.
7. ” Moondance “: This is a short instrumental track serving as an interlude.
8. ” The Riddler”: I like the imagery and message of this song.
9. “The Pharoah Sails to Orion”: This song was inspired by Exodus. It’s got a great keyboard.
10. ” Walking in the Air”: This is Nightwish’s first cover. The song was written for the animated adaptation of Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman. Tarja is so beautiful on this one.

Final Verdict: This is an excellent album. I have to agree with Loudwire’s ranking for this.

Grade: A

Ranking the Discography: Nightwish Part 1: Angels Fall First

Nightwish was formed in Kitee, Finland in 1996. The band was formed after Tuomas Holopainen played in several bands. The band’s name came from the song “The Forever Moments” , the first song they recorded together. He invited Tarja Turunen (who shared the same piano teacher with him, Plamen Dimov) and his friend Emo “Empuu” Vuorinen. Jukka Nevalainen joined them after they recorded their demo.

Members:

Tarja Turunen: vocals

Tuomas Holopainen: keyboards, piano, vocals

Empuu Vuorinen: guitars, bass

Jukka Nevalainen: drums, percussion

The Tracks:

1. “Elvenpath”: A beautifully sweeping opener that makes references to Finnish mythology, David Eddings, and The Hobbit.
2. “Beauty and the Beast” : A retelling of the classic fairytale.
3. “The Carpenter “: This was the band’s first single, and uses Christian themes. The titular carpenter is Jesus. It’s one of my favorite songs on the album. It’s the only single to feature both Tarja and Tuomas.
4. ” Astral Romance”: I love the orchestration on this one.
5. “Angels Fall First “: The title track is excellent.
6. ” Tutankhamen”: A great song about the titular pharoah.
7. “Nymphomaniac Fantasia”: The guitars and keyboards are great here.
8. ” Know Why the Nightingale Sings”: Some pretty good chemistry in the instruments.
9. “Lappi”: This four-part suite is the only song that has both Finnish and English lyrics, with two instrumental sections.

Final Verdict: This is a great start and shows some promise with some strong favorites.

Grade: B-