Wishmaster

That's the question I've often found myself asking people over the last couple of years, since the very weak (by Nightwish's high standards, at least) Hvman || Natvre came out in 2020, hopefully signaling a blip rather than a creative decline, but it's still a bit of a worry. Even so, there's no denying that at least in studio album terms, Nightwish have gradually felt less and less like an actual band and more like Tuomas Holopainen's symphonic music project with fairly regular but restrained contributions from the other members of a band once called Nightwish. Were it not for their spectacular live performances, one would be forgiven for forgetting that this is meant to be a band at all.

So, let's go back to Nightwish's earlier days, where they felt like a proper band, and one who knew how to have fun with their music at that. 2000's Wishmaster probably best epitomises the 'fun' factor of Nightwish's early music, along with its predecessor Oceanborn. Immediately from pressing play, the band wastes no time in getting this record going with the excellent and captivating 'She Is My Sin'. The opening track has it all - beautiful, soaring operatic vocals from Tarja Turunen, Holopainen's vibrant symphonic keys, and solos and riffs galore from guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, back in the days when Tuomas let him do so on more than one song per album.

Around the turn of the Millennium, Nightwish's sound was far more greatly influenced by power metal, resulting in Wishmaster being more up-tempo then any following releases, as evidenced by the likes of 'Wanderlust', 'Crownless', and the title-track, the latter of which remains a fan-favourite to this day. Mid-paced outings such as 'Come Cover Me' and 'Bare Grace Misery' mix up the tempos well, while ballads 'Two For Tragedy' and 'Dead Boy's Poem' give the listener a well-timed breather from all the energy.

Whilst continuing with the fantasy ode themes of Nightwish's first two albums, Wishmaster is also the first Nightwish album to introduce more serious topics to their lyrics. 'The Kinslayer' addresses the Columbine High School Massacre of 1999, the type of sensitive subject that Nightwish haven't really approached since and very much stands alone in their lyrical repertoire. The other, 'Dead Boy's Poem' is the opposite, in that it is a semi-autobiographical piece from Tuomas describing the struggles of his artistry combined with his mental health issues (namely depression), which would partially form the basis of themes the band would explore for the remainder of the Tarja era, as well as much of the Anette Olzon era. Speaking of Tarja, she's on fine form here, with her instantly-recognisable voice once again being the defining feature of Nightwish's music during the first decade of their existence. She has one of those special voices that simply cannot be replaced.

While a very solid and consistent album, Wishmaster does have a couple of stumbling blocks. The most recurring issue is Tuomas' decision to omit piano from all bar one song, instead using even more synths. The result is that Wishmaster ends up sounding more dated than Oceanborn, despite being released two years later. 'Two For Tragedy' arguably suffers the most from this, as use of a lead synth patch that you can usually find on your old Yamaha or Casio under the title of 'Bright' instead of a piano leaves it falling a lot shorter of any of Oceanborn's ballads than it needed to. The song 'Deep Silent Complete', strangely also released as a single, is also a notable weak point, as it generally brings nothing to the table beyond helping the album transition from 'Crownless' to 'Dead Boy's Poem' more smoothly. if we're being particularly nitpicky, original closing number 'Fantasmic', while significantly better than Angels Fall First's 'Lappi', is very good in parts, but did show that Tuomas hadn't quite mastered the 8m+ epic quite yet, but it's still a good song so I wouldn't count it as a negative.

Owners of all but the original edition of the album are also treated to the additional song 'Sleepwalker', the song written for Nightwish's bizarre attempt to try and win the Eurovision contest (note - if you don't already know, they didn't even end up qualifying), which works really well as a closing track.

Overall, while Wishmaster arguably feels like a more complete album than Oceanborn, it does fall slightly short of its predecessor in terms of quality. But that bar was set very high, and Wishmaster is still a great album essential to any symphonic power metal fan's collection.

Recommend tracks - 'She Is My Sin', 'Wishmaster', 'Dead Boy's Poem'.

By many considered one of the best albums of the Finnish band, Wishmaster is an album that I found somewhat disappointing in relation to the expectations that I had formed about Nightwish after listening to their first two albums. Don’t get me wrong, Wishmaster is a more assured and mature album than any of the preceding two records and there are clear signs of progress in the band’s songwriting and arrangement abilities. But these improvements feel more like baby steps rather than giant leaps towards stardom, resulting in an album that feels like a close cousin to its predecessor Oceanborn, with all the pros and cons of the case.

Sonically, the album is based on similar coordinates as Oceanborn. By their third album, Nightwish have seemingly found a niche of their own with their special blend of symphonic power metal with operatic vocals that pulled them apart from the rest of the power metal scene of the time. As a whole, Wishmaster is perhaps somewhat less “speedy” and aggressive compared to Oceanborn. There are more mid-tempos and the power metal influences are partly diluted by more traditional metal influences, hinting at the transition towards symphonic metal the band will complete a few years down the road.

Relative to Oceanborn, Wishmaster displays clear improvements in the songwriting department. Tuomas Holopainen seems to have refined his ear for strong melodic lines that surface more consistently throughout all tracks of the album. This was one of the main problems with the previous album, where moments of melodic brilliance were starkly juxtaposed to blander and more anonymous episodes. There are more melodic hooks on Wishmaster, with most songs endowed with decent memorable choruses that ensure proper climactic release.

This ensures that Wishmaster overall feels more balanced than its predecessor. Herein, however, lies the biggest limit of the album, perhaps. It all feels a bit too samey, without many really spectacular moments of brilliance like “Swanheart” and “Walking in the Air” on Oceanborn. Sure, there are strong tracks here too. The album opener “She Is My Sin”, the bombastic title-track, the soft ballad “Two for Tragedy” are all excellent compositions, although they perhaps do not reach the level of the aforementioned tracks from Oceanborn. Other tracks are less impactful, like “Come Cover Me”, “Bare Grace Misery” and “Crownless”, continuing Nightwish’s unfortunate tradition of diluting the quality of their albums’ tracklists with fairly anonymous fillers. The longer tracks are equally disappointing, showing that the band have not yet found the formula to write “mini-epics” that are engaging through and through. The end result is that, halfway through the record, one starts having this nagging feeling of deja-vu, as the same ideas are repeated over and over again without much variation.

Nevertheless, Wishmaster is a strong record, confirming the potential of the Finnish band as one of the leading forces in the European metal scene. It is also clear, however, that Nightwish are still “work in progress” as they have not yet found the right formula for a perfect album, capable of flowing seamlessly from start to finish without boring or tiring the listener.

I hate to take a crap on this album, because 'She Is My Sin' and 'Deep Silent Complete' actually rule, and the former was the first metal song I really enjoyed. I also know almost every song on this album by memory in some way; I could sing you a little bit from all but those forgettable longer tracks, which I remember nothing of despite having listened to each of them in-full several times over the course of my adult life. I have tried so hard to like this album, and have given it crack after crack for the last nearly 15 years, since I love the other three albums with Tarja ('Angels Fall First' barely exists, give me a break) -- but it's just not going to happen. Everything here, with precious few exceptions, is an inferior retread of 'Oceanborn', sometimes just swapping out one problem for another.

There are a lot of strong melodic hooks here without much else going on, much like the first half of 'Oceanborn' was full of strong fanfares but predictable, bland melodies in the verses and, often, unforgivably, in the choruses. 'The Kinslayer', 'Come Cover Me', and 'Wanderlust' all have catchy melodic hooks, memorable choruses -- but then the verses are forgettable and the guitar work is generic, while the larger-than-life synths are significantly turned down. This is the most traditionally power metal album Tuomas ever churned out, and it turns out there's a reason he ended up going with the synth-driven side of his songwriting -- it is what he is better at (and he would find the right balance on the masterpiece that would follow this, 'Century Child'!). Those three songs all have moments I really enjoy, but even at their pop-song lengths, they cannot hold my attention. These songs are even less enjoyable than 'Stargazers' or 'Sacrament of Wilderness', which are way less interesting than the first 45 seconds would lead you to believe, because Tuomas is not yet as good at writing catchy choruses as he is at writing atmospheric keyboard lines.

'She Is My Sin' is the major exception here; it is also one of the few songs that I think is distinctively more aggressive and tragic than what was typical on 'Oceanborn'. A more-familiar sound is present on 'Deep Silent Complete', with its unusual wordless chorus and wistful verses that actualizes so much of what Tuomas was trying to aim at with his more restrained, gentle tendencies. It is intense without being overbearing, soft and hard, cold and hot at the same time. He expanded on a lot of these ideas in 'Century Child', I think. It is very distinctive, and shows him at his most creative.

But these songs are not representative. I don't know if 'Wishmaster', the title track, qualifies as a fan favorite anymore, given that nothing about the band today remotely resembles anything about what they were like in this era, and all the old fans like me have shown themselves the door by now, but I call BS on the idea that this song is some kind of career highlight. There's less there than there appears at first glance, and it overrelies on the shock-and-awe verses showing off Tarja's range and versatility. Once you're over that, it's just standard-fare Nightwish.

The longer songs here are especially disappointing, because they commit the unforgivable crime of being boring. It's embarrassing enough that Tuomas gives in to his most manchild-like tendencies here, with his big ode to Disney. But then 'Dead Boy's Poem', his crack at a 'serious' piece, more introspective and less fantastical than the magnificent 'Pharaoh Sails to Orion' on 'Oceanborn', can't save the day, because it's such a chore to listen to. I hardly even know how to talk about it. It's just boring. It almost threatens to become an interesting song between the 4 and 5 minute mark, but then quickly becomes boring again. (!)

Somehow this album has managed to get tagged by many as Nightwish's best, or their peak. This is fake news. Given that 'Angels Fall First' barely qualifies as a Nightwish album since they had not yet decided to play power metal, I consider 'Wishmaster' their sophomore slump, their growing-pains album on the road from brilliant potential to recognized potential (before they became an entirely different band post-Tarja, anyway). There's a lot on this album to like, but it's so fragmented across the album, and what's good here is not that good, that the album is simply not worth listening to, aside from the highlight tracks.

I find myself in the interesting position of being the only person except TrooperEd (who mentions Motorhead twice, so he clearly has other fish to fry) to review Wishmaster since the release of Nightwish's big game-changer, Dark Passion Play. That means I'm faced with the choice of talking about "what once was" (as old Varg might put it) and comparing it to the media snowball that has been mounting and - perhaps, since I haven't bothered to follow it for a few years - hopefully melting with all the odd decisions made in Tuomas Holopainen's mind in the recent decade. However, it all seems a bit unnecessarily achronological to mess about with comments about Anette Olzon and 'Amaranth' when I could just say that this is an album by a power metal band that sounds like an album by a power metal band. It's not much of a stretch to say that Nightwish never needed the word "symphonic" in their name until at least Century Child, when the power metal categorization could be questioned for the first time. Before that, you could simply have walked into a bar and said "Nightwish play Finnish power metal with operatic vocals" and no one would have spilled your drink, though some people may have given you a funny look. These days, if Tuomas and Floor Jansen entered any boozer from my hometown, the first question would be why pimps still feel the need for a top hat (this is a slander against top hats and not against Jansen, although her first name conveniently rhymes with the old occupation). The second action would be Holopainen's look of confusion as someone punched the top hat right the fuck off his head as a warning shot.

Therefore, you see how troubling it would be for me to compare eras of Nightwish, so it would be better just to stick to Wishmaster. There is a most definite advantage to this period of the band's career, which is that most of the songs tended to be average lengths, here getting everything but the closing two cuts done in under five minutes. This is officially a Good Idea, because power metal needs to be neither progressive nor a "rock opera" to get the job done, the structuring of this sparkling Euro power improving exponentially the less time is expended between each riff change. There are a reasonable number of mid- and fast-paced songs here that chop from riff to riff about as swiftly as early Helloween, which propels the excitement of the pieces, not to mention the keyboards that complement the moods and melodicism of the songs without needing to take precedence from the booming drums of Jukka Nevalainen and the exceptionally well-positioned and warm bass of Sami Vänskä. Another advantage to this go-getting approach is that Tarja Turunen - of all her many uses - has just the kind of voice that conjures atmosphere and drama just by being there, let her sing what she may. Of all the operatic singers that power metal accrued during the late '90s, her piercing, vibrato-laden vocals simply soar over the rest of the band and make the experience majestic without the keyboards needing to overload the pomp. This combination is key to Wishmaster's positive reception, as well as the stellar production of the album.

On the topic of songs, it's slightly difficult for me to be neutral, since I had 'She Is My Sin' stuck on an ancient MP3 player for about six months back when I was in my teens, meaning that I listened to that nearly every day during that period because the device only had 128Mb of memory and I was forced to replay about 30 songs everywhere I went. It still strikes me as a smart opener to the album owing to its hooky riff and middling pace, whereas faster and more dramatic cuts like 'Crownless' and the title track work better to inject some urgency into proceedings later on. I've read a lot of positive feeling for 'Crownless' (one of TrooperEd's Motorhead comparisons is expended on this point), though I personally think that it goes overboard in the excitement factor, sounding more like something cheesy that would have improved any concurrent Stratovarius release by its presence, especially the keyboard shredding and fast licks between verses. The more focused drama of 'Kinslayer' and 'Wishmaster' do a much better job with a slightly more restrained template, the stateliness of Turunen's voice and the dark riffing of the former and crashing symphonic parts of the latter proving more suitable for the band's sound.

Nightwish as a more serious power metal unit than marginally older acts like Stratovarius and Helloween, as well as the similarly-aged Sonata Arctica and Rhapsody of Fire, makes the other songs here more convincing than the generic or sometimes filler material present on the albums of these bands. The ballads work better because they are all about the effect of the vocals, Turunen proving sufficiently diverting during 'Two for Tragedy' and the band playing around with other features (such as narration and sudden volleys of power chords) during 'Dead Boy's Poem', which is an early indication of an unfortunate tendency for Holopainen to write his autobiography in song form. Some of the other material is very pleasant without being overly hooky, which might be one small complaint about 'Come Cover Me' and 'Deep Silent Complete' - that despite good instrumentation, the choruses don't always get the best of the deal. The long closer 'Fantasmic' shows the only hints of the group's early folk affiliation, adding in some flutes before an enormous climax sees Turunen shrieking out over some of the album's heaviest riffing.

In my view, Wishmaster is just the kind of album to show that Nightwish had a definite niche in the power metal scene before they decided they needed larger platforms to satisfy their ambition. The scope of the album isn't overwhelming yet branches out enough to prevent boredom stirring for 53 minutes, all of the performers doing plenty to justify their contribution to the band and each song doing the same to earn a place on the album. There aren't quite as many spectacular moments as one might wish for (the dark majesty of 'Kinslayer', the billowing rush of 'Wanderlust', and the epic conclusion of 'Fantasmic' steal the show in this regard), though there's every reason for a fan of power metal to be very satisfied here.

Hot on the heels of one of the biggest delightful surprises of 1998 comes Wishmaster. Not exactly the most menacing title (Nightwish were never good at those) but there was some horror movie title with the same name, I guess that counts for something? The metal quality jam is spread a bit more evenly on this toasty album than it was Oceanborn. Whereas Oceanborn had five of the ten greatest Nightwish songs of all time in the first half, it did seem a bit flat on the bottom. Inversely, this album's second half is way more white knuckled than the first, depending on which way you wanna slice it in half, and yes that middle child is a massive tiebreaker.

Let's talk about that middle child. The title track's intro might seem a bit boisterous and clunky, but once that main riff gets going your neck will immediately disagree and take control over whatever ridiculous nipick your brain might be cooking up. I've never been able to find a clear answer over whether "Wishmaster" was the album's first single but if it was it was very worthy of that commercial play. Its placement in the album is also delightfully tasteless, having lured the listener into a false sense of tranquility with one of two ballads (oh dear), before erupting forth from the speakers like a power metal "WAKE THE FUCK UP!" meme. Amusingly, this album pulls this trick again further on down with Deep Silent Complete, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Wishmaster, the song, was and still is an anthem and irreplaceable live staple for the band.

The other speed metal moments from the album come in the form of Wanderlust, The Kinslayer (telling "Youth of the Nation's" faux-rap sensitivity to go fuck itself by a full year and a half) and the single greatest track of Nightwish's frustratingly inconsistent career: CROWNLESS! Holy fuck Crownless rips! Never in the world did I expect this band to play so....fast! It's Ace of Spades tempo which isn't that fast by 98 standards, but for this band it's as fast as it gets. It is Nightwish's Fast As A Shark. I actually had the two tracks floating around my iTunes and the two of them made an especially lethal running playlist. Would I have preferred it if Nightwish just wrote Crownless for the rest of their career? Well, as great as one track can be you don't want to make yourself out to be a one trick pony. You'd end up like the first two or three Blind Guardian albums. As fun as a series of female operatic Tales From The Twilight Worlds would be, Blind Guardian didn't start becoming legendary until they started fooling around with other structures and tempos. But I do wish Nightwish would have written SOMETHING else like this. There's even a Downing/Tipton-esque duel with the keyboards and guitars! Every note on this song is perfect. Of course Nightwish and their "fans" probably look at this song as an aberration (I don't think it was ever touched live) and it's a damn shame. Talk about not understanding what brought you to the dance in the first place. This song is so metal you expect that numbskull Tapio Wilska (or god forbid Tuomas again) to come in with the "male vocals" to "help carry the heavy load" or whatever the fuck Tuomas thinks he needs male vocals in Nightwish for, but praise Allah he does not. Matter of fact there is not a single male vocal to be found on this entire album. As far as I'm concerned Nightwish has been better for it. I can never quite decide whether or not Oceanborn or Wishmaster is the definitive Nightwish album but one big point in the favor of the latter is it has Tarja and only Tarja singing. Why dilute a perfectly good gimmick? And why did Lacuna Coil never seem to figure that out? Hell, why did Nightwish never seem to figure that out?

As I said earlier, the intensity is spread out more evenly this time around, making Wishmaster more of a Killing Machine/British Steel outing than anything else (no R&B sass though). At the end of the day, you have to give them full marks for an improvement in consistency. It also offers slightly more variety up this point. You get your mid-range rockers (She Is My Sin, Come Cover Me, Bare Grace Misery), your epics (Fantasmic) and your ballads (Dead Boy's Poem, Two For Tragedy). Then there's Deep Silent Complete, which seems like it's going to be a ballad, particularly since it comes right after Crownless, so you'd think Tuomas would want to give the fangirls a break, right? Wrong. The fangirls haven't shown up yet and this is still very much a metal band. We get about eight bars of Tarja's operatic soul before getting smashed in the face with a lost Somewhere In Time sessions track. I believe this song is about the mythical Siren (four years before the proper song) and this plays that role exquisitely. A lovely maiden voice to lure you in and lower your defense before the ocean rips you apart. Hell, that was Nightwish's metal modus operandi! Bring in the casuals and what not with the girl, then rip their fucking heads off.

I honestly can't think of a single moment to skip on this album. Even Two For Tragedy has a classy s/t Iron Maiden-era Dave-Murray-esque slow solo in it that is just sublime. Reader, you need Wishmaster in your collection. Not only because it was a giant studded heavy metal middle finger during the height of the nu-metal, not only because it's a testament to the old slab methods working just fine in modern times, but this will probably help you get chicks more than playing No Sleep Til Hammersmith for the 192842th time (yes I ripped that line from Boris, but that review was deleted over ten years ago. Someone has to pass on the knowledge around here).

Poetry and music have always been partners of sorts within the metal genre, varying insofar as the principle songwriter allows his imagination to fly. In the case of Nightwish, the lyrical content has enjoyed an evolution similar to the musical one they have made since their quasi-folk inspired debut “Angels fall first”. Tuomas Holopainen balances a sense of passion and a sense of curiosity with the occasional poetic comment on the nature of life. Be it his own take on the mind of a pair of killers in “The Kinslayer” or a personal quasi-autobiography in “Dead Boy’s Poem”, he is both witty yet sincere in his word usage, complementing the game of notes that he plays with.

The sound on this album is probably most comparable to its predecessor “Oceanborn”, although the ballads seem to hint at a direction towards the somewhat less metallic approach found on “Century Child”. “Two for Tragedy” is pretty much keyboards and vocals, but lacks the hooks and atmosphere that made “Sleeping Sun” a sort of guilty pleasure of mine. “Dead Boy’s Poem” has some folk elements from the debut, but mostly relies upon vocal performance and narration to carry it along. “Come Cover Me” has a nice principle theme to it and a solid vocal performance, but not a whole lot of development.

The faster songs are where the album truly shines; combining Tuomas’ keyboard ideas and Emppu’s riffs outshine Stratovarius in many instances. “Crownless” and “Wanderlust” are the two highlights, combining solid guitar and keyboard ideas with some interesting vocal and atmospheric tricks, the former almost sounding like a high speed techno track. “The Kinslayer” is definitely the darkest sounding of the bunch, be it the neurotic sounding narrations or the agitated keyboard lines. “She is my Sin” and “Deep, Silent, Complete” feature impressive vocal performances, while “Bare Grace Misery” mostly relies on simplicity and hooks to keep the listener focused.

The most musically ambitious songs on here tend away from the Oceanborn sound as well. The title track makes a clever use of silence versus sound during its powerful chorus, while Emppu pumps out some catchy lead riffs. The vocal performance is the most operatic out of all the songs, which unfortunately tends to be what turns off many metal fans to this band. “Fantasmic” is the most progressive of the mix, going through 3 different parts and making a lot of use of sectional contrast. It combines atmospheric ballad sections with speed metal, and reaches its pinnacle during a climactic flute theme at the end of the slow part.

Although a very impressive album, I can’t say this is Nightwish’s best, as Oceanborn ranks at the top in my opinion for its brilliant hybrid approach to power metal and symphonic music. The lyrical approach takes a more introspective approach rather than the fantasy/philosophy take of the first two albums, showing indications that Tuomas is starting to mature. Sadly, as is seen on subsequent releases, a maturing sound has been slowly working against them. If you like Rhapsody, Stratovarius, Lullacry, Helloween or Angra then you will find things on here that appeal to you. It’s a varied work, but it still has a consistent musical direction.

I can't put my finger on it, but "Wishmaster" lacks a certain something. Unlike the other Nightwish albums (excluding "Once"), it didn't do much for me. Sure, some songs are amazingly good, but they're balanced out with boring, filler tracks.

This is the album that got a lot of people to compare Nightwish with other Finnish metal bands like Stratovarious or Sonata Arctica. This is not good. Nightwish were never comparable with other bands. They used to play music which was in a league of its own.

The major flaw in this album is the fact that music is pushed too far back. Unlike before, when the music and vocals accompanied each other, on "Wishmaster" it's the music helping the vocals. All songs are just an excuse to hear Tarja singing. No importance is given to the music. That's a real shame because the band has amazing potential. Just listen to their previous albums and to "Century Child" to see how good Nightwish can really be.

Tarja was also slightly disappointing as well. She doesn't deliver the same amount of emotion that she did before. Her voice isn't as moving as it was. The only track in which I found Tarja's voice to be at the usual perfection is "Two for Tragedy". It's the only track in which she sings her heart out. In most of the other songs, she sounds rather bland. However, she's still among the superior female metal vocalists out there.

Another flaw of this album is its inconsistency. On "Oceanborn", everything got together as a whole. The artwork, lyrics, melody and vocals all had a connection between them. Here, there's no such thing. Sure, the artwork shows fantasy (just like the lyrics), but nothing else does. That brings me to the conclusion that this album was rushed.

Having said all that, there are still a couple of damn good songs here. "The Kinslayer", "Two for Tragedy" and "FantasMic" are among the band’s finest tracks. "The Kinslayer" is a very well-done track that talks about the Columbine High-School massacre (those two kids that killed themselves after killing about 12 people). It's a killer (no pun intended) track that, underneath all the poetry, makes you think. It carries with it one of the most truthful lines I've ever heard; "In this world of a million religions everyone prays the same way". The concept of the song makes it the absolute highlight of the album and also one of the best Nightwish songs ever written. Now, let’s move on to the softest song of the album; "Two for Tragedy". I hated this song at first, but a few listens made me change my mind. Tarja's singing is amazing here. It's not really a metal song, but it's just amazing. The use of the flute also makes it very similar to the sound on their debut. So, that's a definite highlight. Last but not least, "FantasMic". It's an epic track that talks about Walt Disney. It's also an amazing summary of the album (since it's divided into three very different sections). I especially like the first section (with the unbelievably catchy "Wish upon a star..." chorus. The third section is also very well-done (particularly when Tarja sings those pieces about different Disney characters).

Besides those three kick ass tracks, the album left me quite disappointed. There are a lot of filler tracks that turn out to be mediocre, at best, like "Come Cover Me" and "Wanderlust". The other tracks are decent; yet don't reach the usual high standards of the band.

Even though I criticized the album constantly, it's still quite good. It is, however, Nightwish's worst album to date. If you don't want to get it for the music, get it at least for the amazing lyrics that Tuomos has never failed to write.

One last note: the release with the bonus "Sleepwalker" is definitely worth the extra money.

Although it was one of the turning points of Nightwish becoming more pop orientated,
I think Wishmaster is one of the better albums of Nightwish. Wishmaster has the bombastic tracks that we expect from Nightwish and the catchy choruses used by many bands, yet after a while things begin to become repetitive.

At the beginning of the album every song has its own voice to it. She is My Sin displays Tarja’s vocals beautifully as does Wanderlust. The Kinslayer has a perfect balance of darker vocals and innocent-like singing. I would say every track up to Bare Grace Misery really keeps me not from yawning. Bare Grace Misery and Crownless could easily be called the worst tracks on the record. They don’t have that certain power I want from Nightwish.

Fortunately, the cd is saved from the two longest songs on the album, Dead Boy’s Poem and Fantasmic. They are opposites and have a totally different quality the other songs seem to not have. Dead Boy’s Poem is so beautiful and gives you a definition of how emotional a ballad could be. They play off Tarja’s voice in a sparingly manner, as to not detract from the wonderful music. Fantasmic is a great way to end off the cd. It carries the same tumid vibe as any other Nightwish song and makes you feel almost elated. It wouldn’t have made sense to end such a powerful album with a soft song and Fantasmic gives a last punch to remind you this isn’t some silly delicate record but this is Nightwish.

Nightwish´s sound is self-identifying – you hear it and you know its Nightwish; all the more in this album, containing instant classics such as Dead Boy´s Poem, or The Kinslayer. This wasn´t their first album I wanted to review, but a request from a dear friend of mine, I chose to start with this one.

Don´t get me wrong, this is by no means a bad album. While I like Once more than this one, Wishmaster truly contains pieces of musical genius and creativity. It also sparks a question many other bands trigger. What is Metal? I remember being in a car with a friend listening Lacrimosa, he said to me: if any person not familiarized with metal, listens from here on (after the vocals I don´t remember which song) would swear this is classical and not metal music.

Nightwish, in a way, possess the same vein of musical expression. While being metal, many of their songs are full of feeling and emotion, orchestration and arrangements; Tarja´s alluring vocals blessing the whole picture, with lyrics ranging from love to fantasy. It´s not that metal is cold music for mass murderers, to say that would be to please the media monsters leading the simple-minded slaves… sorry, masses. Quite the contrary, Nightwish is one of the bands that stands out and proves that metal is an open forum of expression, not limited by closed-mindedness or stereotypes (ok, maybe there are a few exceptions), and that, musically, it is a space for geniuses to flow.

That doesn´t seem to speak much of the album, so let´s get on with it, and hope that I may get my point clear.

She is My Sin – starting with a great keyboard and guitar tune, the album opener really enthralls us. Tarja´s vocals again laid a spell, although sometimes the vocal lines are a bit to large and is forced to sing them quickly, the same for other tracks in the album. The chorus is by far amazing, the way she sings makes it all the more beautiful. The lyrics are about lust; with a memorable line: “God, I must confess… I do envy the sinners”. The guitar tune after the second chorus is amazing, although would´ve been great if accompanied by a solo. Perfect start for the album.

The Kinslayer – another majestic start with keyboards, at the very first reminiscing of the previous song, but soon it stands apart. The vocal lines are great, making it a chain that when sung sounds almost wicked. The same tune maintains itself almost all of the song, but for a part that is like a dialogue between Tarja and another voice. The lyrics are about the Columbine High School Massacre on April 20th, 1999. There are some great lines here: “Not a hero unless you die, our species eat the wounded ones”, and the infamous “Good wombs hath borne bad sons”. This song is the aggressive one of the album, having a “rudeness” between the riffing and the keyboards. Amazing song.

Come Cover Me – starting like a ballad with a flute (I think it’s a flute) and keyboard arrangements, the song quickly morphs by entering a guitar following in the same tune. But the moment Tarja enters the keyboard tune is really catchy, greatly composed. The guitar part before the chorus is great. The chorus is good, although not as others in the album. It’s a catchy song for the aforementioned keyboard tune, but putting aside that, it could have been much better.

Wanderlust – the initial keyboard/guitar tune is simply memorable. It is a happy song, Tarja and the lyrics seem like a plaything of innocence. The lyrics are about the urge to travel and see the world; much like the disease that afflict the kender race of Halflings in DragonLance universe. The chorus is melodic and alluring. In the second half there is a great guitar riffing. Worthy song.

Two for Tragedy – the ballad of the album. The lines feel a little forced at times. A flute gives a nice addition to the song, along with a keyboard. The second part continues the same but for drums and bass, and a lead guitar. The song is too slow for my taste, sadly, this could´ve been much more better but fell short.

Wishmaster – starting with the chorus, the title song is a fan favorite. At first I didn´t like it, but the more I heard it the more it got to me. The guitar riffing is slithering towards great and fast melody. The lyrics contain references to The Lord of the Rings (Elbereth and Lorien) and more for DragonLance (Sla-Mori, meaning secret path; Starbreeze, last name of Princess Alhana of the Silvanesti elves; Silvara, the name of a silver dragon; and Shalafi, meaning master); and I think its about yearning for a fantasy world. The solo is simple, yet great. Being the title track, it cannot be bad but great.

Bare Grace Misery – a direct start with keyboard tune of the chorus. The vocals are great here, since the instruments leave space for Tarja´s voice to shine. The guitar and keyboard lines are amazing, and the part before Tarja´s sigh is truly great; but once again the lines are a bit too long. It is a good song.

Crownless – the one I dislike. Not that it is a bad song, its actually good; the chorus is catchy, the melody is good. The catch is that since the start it didn´t sounded like Nightwish to me, but more like Sonata Arctica. Comprehensible since Mr. Holopainen is close friend of those guys; its not like I don´t like SA (but they don´t hit the nerve they once did), but I just dislike this song for that, it differs in terms of the bombasticness of the rest of the album.

Deep Silent Complete – in the same vein as Bare Grace Misery, this sung is full of melody, catchiness; and the instruments really leaves the room for Tarja´s voice to shine. Excellent track.

Dead Boy´s Poem – starting with vocals plagued with sadness, and acoustic guitar arrangement. It truly sets the pace for the mood of the song; then the chorus just traps you in, with a melody sure to stay in the mind. After the second chorus, the Dead Boy reads his poem, truly melancholic; and the solo enters. God, I could die listen to this solo, and I´d be gone a happy man. After another reading, the final part comes in. With a different tune than the rest of the song, it maintains the feeling, but I prefer the first part. Just two words: instant classic.

Fantasmic – the longest track and album closer, it is divided into three parts. Part one starts magnificently with organ-like keyboards, and a great guitar tune. The vocal lines and keyboard tunes are enticing. The same goes on for the rest of part one; and the peak is the final “Wish upon a star, believe in will the realm of the king of fantasy”; then it which ends at 3:15. Part two is extremely different at the beginning with the vocals prevailing, with a drum sounding like a romantic novel or soap opera; then with a guitar. Falling behind up until the flute part, strongly reminiscent of Rhapsody´s Sacred Power of the Raging Winds, this part is truly amazing; then at 5:4o or so part three begins with the fast paced tune. The vocals follow the same speed, and the song ends with the same ending as part one. Truly brilliant piece of music.

Its unfair to judge an album as the sum of its parts (although in my reviews I check song by song, but anyway) since an album is an individual piece of music, which songs are tied together by a single concept. That said, this is one of the best of the Nightwish catalogue despite very little flaws; although I wouldn´t call it my personal favorite, since I like more melodies in Once and Century Child. Extremely recommendable for those wishing to know Nightwish, and an obvious must for symphonic power metal fans.

Returning to the point, I think Holopainen´s compositions are quite creative, since almost no songs are reminiscent of others. Also his lyrical themes are very personal, full of feeling and emotions, reaching into corniness at times. As a whole, the Nighwish concept really states that metal is a form of open expression, escaping the lame-ass stereotype of violence and aggressiveness. I hope I make my point clear by saying that metal bands incorporate elements of other genres giving metal a more elaborate and complex prism of musical creation. So, is this metal? Yes, it is music, it is metal.

I'm so in love with this great album and it deserve to get higher reviews. To me as the first experiance, it was awesome. So far I have all the Nightwish albums except "Once" and "Over The Hills...". I guess this is Nightwish's shining moment and it has great songs. Still, I don't know which is my favorite song on this awesome album. I love Tarja and I think she's the greatest female vocals in the metal genre. Opera and metal. Great mixture to make this album rock. Let me go over the tracks.

She Is My Sin: A great openner with heavy drum beats in the beginning. This one I guess the heaviest song on the album. Then, Tarja comes in to seduce the listener by the magic of her voice. Great chorus and a short solo. 5/5

The Kinslayer: Nice riff in this song. The theme behind the lyrics is interesting. The incident back in 1999 of the Colorado shooting. I liked the conversation going on in the middle of this song between the killer and the student. 4.5/5

Come Cover Me: A cool beginning to this one, but gets heavier. This is a basic love song and it is really great. Damn, Tarja sings well in this one, that'll she capture your heart. Awesome song. 5/5

Wanderlust: Good, but not great. Well, it is nice song, but the majority skip this track, but I don't. A cool chorus and nice keyboard solo in the end. 4.5/5

Two For Tragedy: I don't have no idea why people don't like this song. Sure it isn't metal, but it is great. It is a ballad and I really enjoyed it. The solo is nice in the near end. Nice operatic vocals sung by this goddess. 5/5

Wishmaster: Sorry, I think this one's a much heavier and greater than "She Is My Sin" and boy what a song. It's heavy, great chorus and outstanding solos. I think this is the people's majority favortie on this album and I don't blame them, because it's amazing. 5/5

Bare Grace Misery: The wicked side of Tarja. Nice. I love it when Tarja sings a seduction or an evil song. She sounds really scary and beautiful. This is a good track. 4.5/5

Crownless: Brilliant! What can I say more! Great keyboards and amazing chorus. Then, the great keyboard/guitar solo in the middle. Very good performed and it is one of the favorites on this album and Tarja sings well as usual. 5/5

Deep Silent Complete: A calm song, but very catchy! It is an atmospheric song and it makes you feel that you are next to the big sea. Nice vocals. 4.5/5

Dead Boy's Poem: A great touchy ballad. The chorus is great and you cannot negative it. Too bad they only have the chorus twice, but that doesn't matter. In the middle of the boy's conversation, a great solo to cut off his speech. 5/5

FantasMic: The lengthy song on this album and the epic song. I love Nightwish's epics. This song is divided into 3 parts. First, a rocky one, second, a calmer one, and finally, gets to get heavier with a great finish to this wonderful made album. 5/5

I still don't have a specific favorite, but the album is great. I like it more than Oceanborn (don't get me wrong, but Oceanborn is great) and I recommand any listener to start from this album, if they want to start listening to Nightwish. Tarja is a goddess!

In three ways, this album is/was a dissapointment for me.

The first reason is relatively petty: the label went anal about the distribution of the limited edition, and in essence denied me a chance to aquire it via normal channels. Having learned my lesson previously when other big bands released an album and shortly thereafter released a new version with bonustracks, and knowing Spinefarm did the same with Oceanborn, I waited till I got a chance to get the version with the full tracklisting. That it never came around Holland is the reason I'm still going with the mp3 rips of the version that does include Sleepwalker, the limited edition bonus. I advocate shooting labelmanagers that do this to sell extra cds to the fans who are completionists when it comes to material.

The second reason this album was relatively dissapointing, is that I completely worshipped Oceanborn. To me, it was the quintessence of what could possibly be good about an album. The combination of up-beat speedy symphonic powermetal with the beautiful operatic voice of Tarja made me wish that my progeny would be spawned from Tarja's womb. Expecting Nightwish to grow artistically from Oceanborn to Wishmaster as much as they had grown from Angels Fall First to Oceanborn...well of course I had a dissapointment coming, it would've been metaphysically impossible.

But if we ignore these two relatively petty reasons, objectify and take distance from them, then we can proceed to the real reason I'm not ejaculating over this album as no doubt many fanboys are still wont to do. That reason being that Wishmaster actually is less good than Oceanborn.

What captivated me about Oceanborn, was how everything was a whole. The artwork, the lyrics, the atmosphere, it all in combination with the theme made for an album where every song had it's own appeal, and every song swept you off your feet and took you away, to either a walk in the air, or biblical stories. Melody, rythm, vocals all worked in unison to give you a near orgasmic experience. Well, at least for me.

With Wishmaster, I sooner get the feeling the songs are all just vehicles for Tarja's voice. Having soared to popularity after releasing Oceanborn, much on the grace of having Tarja in the ranks, I can understand how they wished to give Tarja all the room she needed in the song-compositions. But where on Oceanborn, she was an equal-status member of the group, on Wishmaster she is elevated above the others in order to emphasize her presence. She hasn't been put stronger in the mix or anything (at least not much). Yet instead of combining her vocal melodies with synth and guitar-melodies for some sort of super-melody, like on Oceanborn, on Wishmaster it's Tarja, and the rest accompany her vocal melody with the same melody. And that's the whole problem: the rest of the band is being relegated to being Tarja's support. Song structures seemed geared towards giving Tarja the right time and place to do her thing. When she's not singing, the band is busy doing a bridge to the next part where Tarja sings, and the band just acts as rythm-section during her parts. I'd almost accuse Nightwish of selling out, as pop-music is the form of music where the band is unimportant in comparison to the vocalist and the vocalist's melody lines.

Of course, now I'm not being fair to Nightwish. It's the dissapointment thing talking partly, and even I have to admit this album is far from being crap. This actually is a fine album, with nice tunes. And Tarja, for not being a real opera singer, does quite a nice job. It's just that since the whole doesn't mesmerize me like before because of aforementioned reasons, one notices small things that wouldn't bother otherwise. For example, the production is crisp, but Tarja and the synths are a tiny bit too dominant; they get a gimmicky air about them this way.

If I had to pick a favorite on this album it would be the titletrack. It's the song that in my opinion is most like their work on Oceanborn, and coincidentally the song that captivates me the most. It even has a solo, and the melody-interplay is interesting.

Concluding, I must note that many people actually like Wishmaster over Nightwish' previous work. I'm not one to question the validity of other people's opinions; they probably liked the new set-up. In my opinion, this is still an enjoyable album, that rises with head and shoulders above the mediocre. Sadly, it does not rise up enough to be among the greats. And the genre of symphonic power metal with operatic female vocals isn't that big anyway..


PS: The bonustrack is Sleepwalker. It's the track with which Nightwish entered into the Finnish National Songcontest. They got first place with the publics' vote, but the 'professional' judges made it second. Needless to say Finland lost the Eurovision Songcontest BADLY that year, and Nightwish could've made the big surprise the EVSC needed, as every year dramatically mediocre artists win. The song Sleepwalker isn't a regular Nightwish track, in that it utilizes a drumcomputer for the main beat, and some drumming is overlaid on top of that. The synths are held beck instead of dominant, more apropiate to contemporary pop. Tarja's vocals do carry the song. It's not a great Nightwish track, but it far surpasses 99% of pop, even if only because of the addition of Tarja's vocals. It forgoes headbangability, yet carries the Nightwish atmosphere.

This was my first taste of Nightwish, continuing and finishing the style begun on "Oceanborn". This album is more clear cut, and is the most accessible Nightwish release, so a very good starting point for getting into this band. Everything that made the last release so incredible is back, but the songwriting has taken a more poppy twist, with more catchy hooks, lighter and bouncier (to an extent) melodies and straightforward song structures Though they do this without sacrificing interesting and well put together metal songs. An admirable collection of songs, lacking the same adventurous attitude of "Oceanborn" but certainly hitting the spot in the same way. It still captures the energy of "Oceanborn" but the songs change moods more often reminding more of "Angels Fall First", and is a little more swung towards the guitars taking centre stage, though not so much that it alters the direction any great deal. It is still an enchanting ride, that I have come to expect from Nightwish and loses no power despite the songs losing a little richness. Songs like "She Is My Sin" and "Wishmaster" showcase the unrelenting energy so ever present, while "Two For Tragedy" and "Dead Boy's Poem" continue the more soothing tracks in the same pattern as on the "Oceanborn" album.
But then again, this is essentially more of the same with just a more simple and to the point approach. Tarja outdoes herself again, with a cracking vocal performance second only to "Oceanborn", and everything else is totally consistent to the quality of material this band provide. There's not much else to say apart from this would be the best place to start with this band (their most successful album), and if you love "Oceanborn" you will certainly like this too, and vice versa.

I tend to be a bit cynical about 'Wishmaster'. I mean it's a great album but after 'Oceanborn' it doesn't carry the same magic. Don't get me wrong, i tend to respect bands who do something different, but unfortunately, this wasn't up to my expectations.
Let's start with the flaws...
I thought that some songs were a bit of fillers. Like 'Come cover me', 'Wanderlust' and some songs in the middle of the album (I wouldn't mention all the songs for it would be too rude! ;)
'Two for Tragedy' is a bit dragging for my taste (altough I happen to like it every now and then, it depends in which mood I'm in) but it's a great prelude to the mighty titlte track. Yes, 'Wishmaster' is by far their trademark song and for sure a lot of fans got through Nightwish by this song. It's a powerfull Power/Operistic song, but I'm sure you all know that!
My favourite part in this album (apart from the first two songs and the title track) are the last three songs in this third installment.
Tarja is amazing on 'Deep Silence Complete'. It kind of reminds me of Enya or Loreena McKennit, which I'm a big fan of.
'Dead Boy's Poem' is one of my favourite Nightwish songs ever. Tarja's voice fits extremely well with Tuomas' lyrics. The song takes a dramatic change into a powerful yet sorrowful ending.
'Fantasmic' is some Operistic/Progressive shit! This is sooo GOOD! It's the longest track in this album and every second is well worth it. I like to think of it as being the epilogue of the album where it's mingling all the songs into one Megalomaniac Masterpiece! Hehe, some extravagant thought here.
Still, it's the highlight of the album and an excelent ending to not-such-a-magnificent album.

Best tracks: (1)She is My Sin, (2)The Kinslayer, (6)Wishmaster, (9)Deep Silence Complete, (10)Dead Boy's Poem, (11)Fantasmic.

The third album of Nightwish may not be the masterpiece that Oceanborn was, but still that doesn't mean it's not an excellent record!
To begin with, this album is slightly more power metal oriented than the previous one, and you can notice that on the speed of the songs and on the guitar riffs and the usage of the keyboards. It isn't as symphonically grandiose as Oceanborn, but the compositions are very good anyway.
As for highlights, I can't really point out any since all the songs have something in them which makes them unique.
She is my Sin is the opener, followed by Kinslayer which are two relatively fast songs with strong riffs, perfect to get into the album!Then what follows is "Come Cover Me" which is a slower song that reveals the path the album follows from track #3 on, which is a fast&strong song, followed by a slower song. Track #4 "Wanderlust" is a more power metal-oriented composition with an excellent ending where you can hear Tarja's operatic voice fading slowly in the background.
Other very good tracks are the title track with epic and fantasy lyrics, and also the more power metal song of the album, "Crownless" which I think is the fastest Nightwish song I have heard. I can't talk of this album without mentioning the doomish song "Dead Boy's Poem" and the final epic "Fantasmic" which are perfect endings for the album and will slightly relax you a little more after those fast songs.

When you have an album that's nearly perfect, it's nearly impossible to make a follow-up to match that album's success. Wishmaster isn't as good as Oceanborn was. But it's damn close.

Everything that was key in Oceanborn is flawlessly transferred to Wishmaster. The vocals are beautiful and melodic, with excellent use of harmonies and an uncanny knack of matching the feeling of the song. It's not Kamelot, where the entire song is suddenly changed by the entrance of Roy Khan's vocals--Tarja blends in with the song's feeling perfectly and complements it to a tee. The guitars are good, but they don't have enough technical playing--they had a bit more in Oceanborn. The drumming is great and so are the keyboards, and the bass is played at exactly the right volume. Overall, everything is solidly Nightwish.

The only real difference here is the lack of pure highlights in the songs. She is my Sin is a great midpaced headbanger with excellent vocal work from Tarja, but it's not Stargazers. The Kinslayer is probably the best song on here, and marks a spot as Nightwish's second-best song--the guitar riffage is just fantastic, and it's a real headbanger, even with the powerful vocals from Tarja. Wanderlust has the opening solo playing by the guitars that I love to hear, and when the vocals finally come in the guitars play solid backup riffs. Bare Grace Misery is a pretty good song that is turned into a great song through some excellent drum work. Crownless is one of Nightwish's fastest songs and has some strange riffs, but is nonetheless a solid frantic headbanger. Finally, Deep Silent Complete has a beautiful opening vocal passage followed by a fantastic melody by the guitar and a solid bass sound that really adds to the depth of the song.

As with Oceanborn, nothing on here is bad. It's just solid Nightwish. And it rocks. Go get yourself some right now.