Once had three singles (four if you count “Kuolema Tekee Taitellijan”, which was only released in Finland and Japan.): “Nemo”, “Wish I Had an Angel”, and “The Siren”. This was the last album to feature Tarja Turunen on vocals.
Members:
Tarja Turunen: vocals
Empuu Vuorinen: guitar
Marko Hietala: bass, vocals
Tuomas Holopainen: keyboards
Jukka Nevalainen: drums, percussion
The Tracks:
- “Dark Chest of Wonders”: This song gets its title from Stephen King’s dedication in The Stand to his wife Tabitha. It makes me think of the Greek myth of Pandora. It’s an excellent opener.
- ” Wish I Had an Angel “: This song seems to imply a loss of purity, and makes references to both the Virgin Mary and Judas’s betrayal. It’s my favorite of the singles.
- ” Nemo”: Tuomas’s keyboard is beautifully haunting on this. It’s one of my favorite Nightwish songs.
- “Planet Hell”: This song was used by the San Antonio Spurs during their 2005 season. Marko’s vocals are excellent.
- ” Creek Mary’s Blood”: This gets its title and inspiration from a book by Dee Brown. It has a beautiful flute.
- “The Siren”: Tarja is beautiful on this one. One of the best songs on the album.
- ” Dead Gardens “: I don’t care for the growly vocals on this.
- ” Romanticide”: Marko has good vocals, and the orchestra is great.
- “Ghost Love Score”: This is the longest song on the album, at 10 minutes. It’s the best song on the album.
- ” Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan”: This is the second song to be sung in Finnish. The title means “Death of an Artist” .
- “Higher Than Hope” : This song is dedicated to the memory of Marc Brueland, who narrates the song. He died soon after the album was released.
Final Verdict: This is probably my favorite Nightwish album so far. It’s an excellent album for Tarja to go out on.
Grade: A+
Aspie Catholic 