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Rating: THE REVIEW
Nightwish=Nordic European power metal (Finnish) Tarja Turunen=singer of Nightwish=a woman of considerable beauty (read: stunningly hot) Put the two together and you have what was, is, and always will be the Nightwish phenomenon, perhaps the most famous power metal band in the world.
Fundamentally, for the first two albums of the Finnish combo, (but have you ever wondered what combo means? I have no clue but keep using it as a synonym for a band because I read it in a review... maybe it's a keyword of a neo-Nazi ideology, who knows... ;))))... oh dear, too many ellipses, let's start over. Fundamentally for the first two albums of the Finnish combo and also for this Oceanborn, there is a rule applicable to other bands like Lacuna Coil or Within Temptation: “the singer is hot, who cares about the album, I’m off to the bathroom to jerk off.” From Wishmaster onwards, things change, and quite a bit too, almost as if Nightwish realized they were a band and not a team of advertising agents at Miss Turunen's service.
The music matures, leaving behind the sugary power of the beginnings and increasingly exploiting Tarja's voice, perhaps on par with Kari Rueslatten of The 3rd And The Mortal, finally supported by original riffs or at least riffs that strive to be original. As some may have noticed, I am reviewing Wishmaster, but that's because I bought Oceanborn exactly one day ago and neither have the desire to review it nor will I in the future. Suffice it to say that the album is more or less a simple step in the stylistic maturation of this young Finnish band and consequently it's a halfway album, half successful, enjoyable only halfway but paid for at full price.
The songs alternate between typical power-speed runs that echo Stratovarius but result from Tarja Turunen's performance and more complex and thoughtful songs, somewhat more progressive, which aren’t unpleasant but clash in a CD where I personally was expecting 50 minutes of potential headbanging and continuous double bass drum. In short, it's only for fans, and if you really want a Nightwish CD, buy Wishmaster. (next time let's play it safe and buy Freedom Call, we tried to be refined... the girl is an opera singer... yes yes... you’ll see that 50 minutes of continuous double pedal and cartoon theme choirs Freedom Call will not deny to anyone)
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Summary by Bot
This review of Nightwish's Oceanborn portrays it as a transitional power metal album featuring the stunning vocals of Tarja Turunen. It is described as only partially successful and enjoyable, best suited for dedicated fans. The music alternates between power-speed tracks and more complex, progressive songs, which may clash for some listeners. The reviewer suggests preferring Wishmaster as a stronger Nightwish album.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Nightwish
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band formed in 1996 by Tuomas Holopainen. The group is known for combining metal instrumentation with orchestral arrangements; early and highly praised releases include Oceanborn, Wishmaster, Century Child and Once. The band underwent a high-profile vocalist change (Tarja Turunen replaced by Anette Olzon) that is frequently discussed in reviews.31 Reviews
Other reviews
By sly1
A masterpiece. Even though more than 2 years have passed since I first heard this CD, it remains one of my favorite CDs.
This is why Oceanborn is the group’s masterpiece, it is one of the metal masterpieces of the ’90s.
By STIPE
"This album is truly unique, thanks especially to Tarja’s voice, one of the most beautiful in the metal scene."
"Nightwish’s music is a melodic and intimate metal. A genre that they represent at their best."
