Dark Passion Play (Limited Digipack)

This is a CD that will split Nightwish fans right down the middle.

Tarja Turunen's departure could be the best thing that ever happened to Nightwish. The operatic vocals were always the core of the Nightwish sound, and to be honest, Tarja's sound was always something of a 'cult' thing.

Annette Olzon's vocals are much more accessible and much more likely to appeal to a mass market. This album could really be the turning point for Nightwish - the album that turns them into stars.

On the other hand, this album is going to alienate a lot of the band's current fans. Olzon's sound is very different from Turunen's - much more contemporary, less extreme, and less distinctive. If you heard a song like 'Eva', you might not think you were listening to the same band.

I believe the best albums are the ones that grow on you over time, revealing new layers with every listen. Dark Passion Play is one of those albums. Once you've got past the mental block of the new singer,… more »

This is a CD that will split Nightwish fans right down the middle.

Tarja Turunen's departure could be the best thing that ever happened to Nightwish. The operatic vocals were always the core of the Nightwish sound, and to be honest, Tarja's sound was always something of a 'cult' thing.

Annette Olzon's vocals are much more accessible and much more likely to appeal to a mass market. This album could really be the turning point for Nightwish - the album that turns them into stars.

On the other hand, this album is going to alienate a lot of the band's current fans. Olzon's sound is very different from Turunen's - much more contemporary, less extreme, and less distinctive. If you heard a song like 'Eva', you might not think you were listening to the same band.

I believe the best albums are the ones that grow on you over time, revealing new layers with every listen. Dark Passion Play is one of those albums. Once you've got past the mental block of the new singer, you can really start to appreciate how much more subtle and complex this album is compared to it's predecessor 'Once', and how much Nightwish has progressed in the past three years.

The album opens with 'The Poet and the Pendulum', an extraordinarily progressive 14-minute affair that starts off as an eerie, gothic instrumental and explodes into full-swing symphonic metal. Only after 2 full minutes is the new vocalist introduced.

Following it is 'Bye Bye Beautiful', a song about Turunen's departure. The rather harsh chorus is sung by male vocalist Marco Hietala, with the lyrics:

'Did you ever hear what I told you?
Did you ever read what I wrote you?
Did you ever listen to what we played?
Did you ever let in what the words said?
Did we get this far just to feel your hate?'

A poignant farewell to say the least.

Track three is 'Amaranth', the album's second single and possibly the most likely to have commercial success. It's one of the best moments on the album.

It's followed by 'Cadence of Her Last Breath', another potential single, and 'Master Passion Greed', a mostly instrumental track with some male vocals.

Next is the truly dreadful 'Eva'. Do not judge the album on this track alone if you have heard it - it's a poor attempt at balladry and does not represent the quality or style of the album as a whole.

'Sahara' is next - a more traditional Nightwish song, with old-fashioned riffs from the 'Wishmaster' days, followed by 'Whoever Brings the Night', a more progressive and pretty heavy song with some unusual changes in tempo and a particularly catchy chorus.

Next, 'For the Heart I Once Had', which is something of a break from the frantic pace of the previous songs, and which probably showcases Olzon's vocal skills better than most other songs on the album. It's followed by 'The Islander', an acoustic song with Marco's vocals again. It's more like a Led Zeppelin song than a Nightwish song - a true departure from the rest of the album. Something of a filler to be honest.

'Last of the Wilds' has elements of Irish folk music - I can see where the Corrs references come from! It's another instrumental.

'7 Days of the Wolves' is a slower, more traditional song in the 'Once' style, with some particularly heavy moments. Lastly, the album plays out to 'Meadows of Heaven' - the second attempt at a ballad on the album. It's too long to be a single but it's infinitely superior to 'Eva', and a fit end to a truly grand album.

Overall then, this is an album that requires a bit of time to get used to. But once you have, it's a very rewarding listen.

Unfortunately its not that good.
Theres no way of escaping it, Anette will always be compared to Tarja. The main problem is that Anette's voice just doesn't compare to Tarja's and this album is just Once: Part 2 but it lacks the power of vocals that Tarja had.
There aren't any tracks on this album that jump out, grab you and make you think "Yeah this is really good". They all come and go without leaving any lasting memory.
The only real highlights of the album being Amaranth, The Islander and 7 Days To The Wolves.
Then theres the 2nd cd where, perhaps, Toumas ego shine's through as it is an instrumental version of the entire album. As ok as some of the tracks are, the full album instrumentally can be a pain to listen through. The album lacked any real hooks when you could the vocals without them, its just too repetitive.
If you've never heard Nightwish before this is as good a place as any to start (what with the change of singer). If you're a big fan of… more »

Unfortunately its not that good.
Theres no way of escaping it, Anette will always be compared to Tarja. The main problem is that Anette's voice just doesn't compare to Tarja's and this album is just Once: Part 2 but it lacks the power of vocals that Tarja had.
There aren't any tracks on this album that jump out, grab you and make you think "Yeah this is really good". They all come and go without leaving any lasting memory.
The only real highlights of the album being Amaranth, The Islander and 7 Days To The Wolves.
Then theres the 2nd cd where, perhaps, Toumas ego shine's through as it is an instrumental version of the entire album. As ok as some of the tracks are, the full album instrumentally can be a pain to listen through. The album lacked any real hooks when you could the vocals without them, its just too repetitive.
If you've never heard Nightwish before this is as good a place as any to start (what with the change of singer). If you're a big fan of Tarja's then avoid this like a swarn of angry bees.

When I first heard that Nightwish had a new vocalist, I was apprehensive. Tarja Turunen (Nightwish's previous vocalist) is a very hard (and unique) act to follow, but I tried to keep an open mind while listening to the promo copy of the album.

If I'm completely honest, I was impressed with the first track - The Poet And The Pendulum. The signature Nightwish orchestral metal "sound" is definitely present, but the magic disappears slightly when Anette Olzon starts singing. She sounds like Amy Lee from Evanescence at times, which gives a very mainstream and watered-down feeling when you compare the operatics on Nightwish albums like Wishmaster or Century Child.

I'm not saying that the vocals are terrible - they're not - but they're diappointing. For a vocalist who boasts taking lessons at the Copenhagen Music Conservatorie in Denmark, she is surprisingly weak and thin. However, if you like the mainstream sound, then I suppose you can't argue too much. I personally feel that… more »

When I first heard that Nightwish had a new vocalist, I was apprehensive. Tarja Turunen (Nightwish's previous vocalist) is a very hard (and unique) act to follow, but I tried to keep an open mind while listening to the promo copy of the album.

If I'm completely honest, I was impressed with the first track - The Poet And The Pendulum. The signature Nightwish orchestral metal "sound" is definitely present, but the magic disappears slightly when Anette Olzon starts singing. She sounds like Amy Lee from Evanescence at times, which gives a very mainstream and watered-down feeling when you compare the operatics on Nightwish albums like Wishmaster or Century Child.

I'm not saying that the vocals are terrible - they're not - but they're diappointing. For a vocalist who boasts taking lessons at the Copenhagen Music Conservatorie in Denmark, she is surprisingly weak and thin. However, if you like the mainstream sound, then I suppose you can't argue too much. I personally feel that it's too mainstream for my taste.

In addition to the more mainstream vocal style, you will also notice the amount of vocal layering and multi-tracking that has gone into the album - at times, tracks sound like they have been recorded by The Corrs (an Irish folk-pop-rock band who are noted for their vocal melodies for those who are unfamiliar with them). While this does sound impressive on the record (upto a point), it does make you wonder how well it will be reproduced live.

Instrumentally, however, the standard is still as high as it has ever been. Drums are perfect, bass is crunchy, the guitars are brilliant and the orchestrations are astounding. Nightwish certainly do seem to be taking more and more elaborate arrangements with their latest releases, Ghost Love Score from Once being a notable example - this has not changed in the slightest.

I have to admit I am a fan of the more fast-paced Nightwish tracks, Dark Chest of Wonders, Dead to the World and The Riddler being among my favourites. True to this opinon, I do feel that the best tracks on Dark Passion Play are the ones with more speed and exciting guitar riffs - Bye Bye Beautiful and Sahara are definitely in this category.

So, in conclusion, I personally found the album very disappointing in terms of the vocals and unfortunately it does affect the album quite dramatically. Instrumentally, it's business as usual for the Nightwish guys - solid riffs and awesome orchestration. I just would have liked to hear more power up front.