It was bound to happen - Nightwish's recording budget increased, and the Finnish quintet added an entire orchestra to their new album, thus forging the most epic and powerful doom album to ever be released. Like giving a child everything he has ever wanted, the band have let loose their boundless creativity. The album is very similar to their previous release, Century Child, but with strings, horns and woodwinds in absolutely every nook. Oh, yes, it is absolutely over-the-top, but in a band such as this, it is fitting and magnificent.

The opening song, "Dark Chest of Wonders" begins with a pounding metal riff unlike anything else on the album - very reminiscent of "Slaying the Dreamer" or more recent In Flames. However, it doesn't last. Soon afterwards, trademark Nightwish power-riffs kick in, infectious and energizing, bringing along with them a parading symphony that does not go unheard. The last chorus is absolutely beyond belief, with the band almost *dueling* with the symphony in a musical power struggle. "Wish I Had an Angel" is very similar to "Dead to the World", with bassist Marko Hietala taking over the vocals in the chorus of this heavy piece. "Nemo" (released as two singles) and "Planet Hell" are Nightwish staples, accessible and tremendously melodic; the latter of which showcases the symphonic textures in a very isolated, gothic atmosphere ("Carmina Burana" is not a stretched comparison).

The album has two longer pieces, both of which are exceptional tracks. "Creek Mary's Blood", an 8-minute eulogy to the destruction of native Americans during the colonial period is woeful, slow and touching, building up to becoming a horn-driven hard rocker.

But it is nothing in comparison to "Ghost Love Score", a near 10-minute concoction of tremendous melodic fireworks. The song left me speechless, and would surely have impressed Carl Orff. Everything from the chorus to the symphonic bombast to the choirs is absolutely hypnotic and energetic. The song makes any other song seem pale, ordinary and thoughtless, including the last two tracks on the album. It is that good. Sometime after the 4-minute mark, the band stops playing, and leaves the song in the hands of a passionate symphony, culminating with the band's re-entry into the song. The choirs that aid in the choral delivery are mostly female, and absolutely majestic. The song is theatrical and truly unrivaled.

To be perfectly honest (and a bit cynical), the symphony in the album takes a little too much credit. The guitar-work on the album is far from impressive and, if the orchestra were removed, many songs would sound very similar. If it weren't for Turunen's voice and the orchestral onslaught, Once would be quite ordinary. Regardless, it is the symphonic album of the year, and the best of Nightwish's career thus far. My congratulations go to keyboardist/songwriter Tuomas Holopainen and his magnum opus.

See also: Nightwish - Wishmaster, Nightwish - Century Child

Nightwish has produced several exceptional albums, but this time they managed to top themselves. Once has that "it" appeal...it is bombastic, and yet still accessible. The album offers a great variety of tones, moods, and sounds that will satisfy any taste, and will thrill metal fans who search for originality.

From the opening number "Dark Chest of Wonders", you hear the great orchestral arrangement that compliments the music so well. It is basically like hearing a heavy metal movie soundtrack. There is a lot going on, but somehow, it works. And it works to damn near perfection. This track alone is worth the purchase, but it continues with the 2 songs that could help the band breakout here in the states, "Wish I Had An Angel" and "Nemo". The brilliant thing about these tracks is while each of them maintains intense musicianship, they both have big hooks that will be embraced by a more mainstream audience. And at the same time, they will satisfy even the most jaded metal fan. The assault continues with "Planet Hell", easily the albums most fierce song, and goes through a rollercoaster of changes as the album continues.

Opera and metal meet in perfect harmony. Who would have thought?

Nightwish are back with their best album to date, if you can believe such a thing is possible after the amazing Masterpieces they have already put out. I think it is different than their previous albums, but not extremely so that you would need to be told it is Nightwish (as has happened with other bands, such as Amorphis and Anathema which have gone from extreme doom/death to goth/rock from one album to the next). Tarja's voice is faultless, though she is again most of the time NOT using the pure operatic voice she used on their first 3 albums. She only goes there on a couple of verses on the whole album. She still sings impeccably, though, and still manages to send chills down my spine. If you are a Nightwish fan, this album should definitely be on your wish list, as no true fan of their music will be dissappointed. That said, it is no mere copy of any of their previous work, like I said before - they have progressed, they have matured, and it shows. There is MUCH MORE emphasis on the symphonic/choral elements than ever before, and boy, is that a good thing! In past albums, they have occasionally incorporated a very small number of classical stringed instruments to add color, but mostly, it's been Tuomas' synthesizer that has provided the "string section" sound. They have also employed (at least according to the "Wishmaster" CD credits) several singers for a pseudo-choral effect. But on this latest, they are heavily employing virtually a full symphonic orchestra and a choir of about 18 singers. Now they can really be called a Symphonic Metal Band, and a great one at that. I was absolutely enthralled and amazed that they, being already a top-notch, incredible band, could significantly up the ante, and deliver an awesome musical journey, fully utilizing and integrating Classical music into their trademark heavy stylings. An incredible step forward for one of heavy music's most talented institutions. The question is: Can they top this? Maybe not. But, as it stands, they have already secured a very honorable place in the history of Metal.

It is really funny to read the "hate" reviews which sound like 5 year olds: "This album sucks, the singer sucks, they are not original, they are amateurs..." bla ,bla bla. They never really provide the reader with a) BETTER musical options, such as really better bands and singers; or b) Valid REASONS backing up their mindless rants. As it stands, none of them really amount to anything worth paying attention to. The fact remains that Nightwish, for those who know music (read my "About You" area) stand head and shoulders above almost ANY Metal band, EVER. Those who call them amateurs, are below amateur listening experience themselves, and sorely points out their complete lack of musical knowledge. Another funny thing about the haters - most of them have only written 1-2 reviews...hmm...Could it be only one or two people just creating names and writing bad reviews over and over? Could be. I am using the word "review" just so that you know of what I'm talking about, but really, these little childish rants do not deserve to be called reviews.

Nightwish's entire discography is an amazing body of work: Every succesive album is different and better. Once is their best. It is one of the best Metal albums of the last 10 years. Easily. Facts are facts.

I would like to answer the reviewer who suggested that efforts by Alas:Absolute Purity, Lacuna Coil, After Forever, and several others where "100x better" than this album.

I try to be open minded about these things - I went and checked out every one of the suggested acts to test this claim in my own set of filters.

Several were OK, although the first mentioned was abysmal. In my opinion, not one of the other mentioned acts was better than Nightwish, let alone "100x better".

Who came closest? - Lacuna Coil - pretty cool and I'll be looking into them some more. As good as but not better than Nightwish, and they are quite different. As for the rest ...

So, having delivered my rebuttal, here is the appreciation ...

Here are my responses to each of the songs on Once:

Dark chest of wonders - the best track on the album, and one of the best pieces of musical structure I have heard in any rock based genre. Great drumming from Jukka. Brilliant! 10/10

Wish I had an angel - great rocking stomp - Marco steals the show on this one - very nice short instrumental bridge within. 9.5/10

Nemo - umm, nice. Not my cup of tea, but good. Good lead break from Emppu. 8/10

Planet Hell - excellent song, again very well constructed. The lyrics are perhaps less hard hitting than the music - occasionally, Tuomas tends to talk down to his audience from an Olympian height rather than to them - in this case the message is a little obscure as a result. Fantastic vocals from Marco and Tarja. 9.5/10

Creek Mary's Blood - a long and rather uninvolving piece - I, like many people, can relate to the story told intellectually but not necessarily emotionally. Musically not as impeccably constructed as DCoW, but nonetheless a very captivating and interesting piece of music. Really nice Tarja vocal. 9/10

The Sirens - excellent - I love this. I love the faint overtones of the east, mixed with a really convincing suggestion of the siren as experienced by Jason. Marco and Tarja a great team in this one. 9.5/10

Dead Gardens - also very good, but a little dull in construction. Musically a bit close to The Sirens. Carried by the fine melody and singing. The final grinding finish is really quite violent for Nightwish. I love it! 9/10

Romanticide - This and the preceding two have a sameness which makes me agree with others that a better song order could have been chosen. Otherwise, a fine song, though not one of the best. Great lead break from Emppu gives it a lift. 8/10

Ghost Love Story - what can I say. Grand, massive, other worldly and remote. The goddess speaks from high with "heavenly choir and orchestras abounding", or something like that. It IS a little too long, and the parts I would drop are a) the total orphan in the middle - the rather lumpy guitar melody/solo, and b) half of the choral fade out. I love the 6/6/5/6 (orchestra and drums/percussion) and 4/4/3/4 (band and orchestra) variations on the initial theme at the beginning. THIS SONG SHOULD HAVE CLOSED THE ALBUM! 9/10

Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan - very nice - not my cup of tea. This borders too much on the classico-pop domain for my taste, but nevertheless a fine piece of lieder - would be better on a Tarja solo album. It needed to happen quite a lot earlier in this album, as it brings the pace down too much for Higher than Hope to pull back. Being in Suomi is a plus for me - I love Finnish people, and I have friends who live there. Moomintrolls forever! 8/10

Higher Than Hope - mushy, extravagent and quite uplifting. The spoken bit I find irritating. Not quite enough to rescue the end of the album from a touch of droop. 7.5/10

In my opinion, Nightwish is the class act in this genre. The vocals in particular have become truly first rate - I still can't listen to anything before Century Child without cringing at the endless operatic strain (in both senses) displayed. Tarja's voice just gets better, and is now much more flexible. Marco's growling howls and gruff singing are a great counterpoint. Marco and Tarja are now a great team.

Emppu's guitar has come to the fore, and he pulls off a couple of really good leads (and one clanker!). I love the precise deth-metal rhythm contrasting with the airy keyboards and orchestration. Jukka and Marco are now working very well together, and Jukka has pulled in the double-kick, although it is still present in both positive and negative ways.

One ask, guys - next album, lay back on the a) orchestration, b) choirs c) hits. The best bits of the album were those that said "we are a band". I am a little tired of the Pip Williams arrangements now, but I still love the essential Nightwish sound so clearly presented in this album. It keeps me listening on ...

What I am saying is - "film score" worked *really* well for Once - now leave it alone and move on.

And finally - contrary to those who state otherwise, I don't think Once is the be-all and end-all album for Nightwish - there's a lot more to come. This album displays many ongoing changes in progress, and some of the earlier motifs fading out, so look for more great music from Nightwish. Nightwish never rest on their laurels, so I think we can be sure of that.

First off, I must respond to the other reviewers... this album IS metal. Saying it isn't leads people to believe that there is NOTHING but the orchestra on here, and that's simply not true. The guitars are actually supported by the orchestra in this one... they work together better than on Century Child, despite actually being heavier.

I'll now proceed to give my two cents on each track.

Dark Chest of Wonders- 9/10 The track itself is a superb opening for the album, with hard guitars and the choir... but Tarja's spoken intro makes me cringe every time.

Wish I Had An Angel- 10/10 I admit that it's radio ready, but that's not a bad thing... Marco and Tarja's chorus duet makes this song a memory.

Nemo- 9/10- Couldn't quite give it 10, but this is a SOLID track, the first single, and the way Ocean Soul from Century Child should have sounded, in my opinion.

Planet Hell- 10/10 Welcome to the hard side, folks. This is one of Nightwish's most crushing songs, with Marco doing his metal bit, Tarja showing off her operatic voice a bit more, and some massive guitar work. If you've had a bad day... :)

Creek Mary's Blood- 10/10 Rating for completely different reasons. Native Americans deserve a great many more tributes like this. Ballad. That's all I can say... grab a tissue.

The Siren- 10/10 I haven't figured out what key/mode this thing is in, but for weird tonalities, you can't beat this thing. Electric violin solo WILL give you chills, promise.

Dead Gardens- 8/10 A bit generic, although pleasant sounding. This one might have done better on Century Child, or even Wishmaster. For the record, I consider Century Child a stepping stone from Wishmaster to Once... it's the beginning of a new sound, and a great start, but not quite there YET.

Romanticide- 9/10 Excellent, but not as original as the others... really heavy guitars, and the customary reference to the Dead Boy.

Ghost Love Score- 10/10 HE CAN WRITE FOR CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTS! Let doubters repent, for this is the perfect song for a movie... where mediocrity won't be accepted.

Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan- 9/10 Just Tarja and Tuomas here, no guitar. Their first song in Finnish, wonderfully done, except not enough variation. Think "Forever Yours" with a bit more chords and about the same amount of melodic figures.

Higher Than Hope- 10/10 The second the chorus hits you, you are going to melt. Very hard chorus, very soft verses, and for the first listen, do not be driving. Wow.

White Night Fantasy- 6/10 Sorry, but this song shouldn't have been put on here. Tarja sings on pitch, but really cheesy melody and such. Not a fan, but since it's a bonus track, I leave the rating at 5 stars.

Live To Tell the Tale- 8/10 Sounds a bit like Dead Gardens to me, but more major key work, an awesome keyboard opening, and better singing than the previous track. Heavy guitars for the closer, a good choice for last bonus song.

The video, btw, is a performance style video, and worth a watch. I know this was long, but I didn't see any reviews giving a good run down on the tracks. Enjoy!