Dark Passion Play

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2009-06-27 rating:
EPIC, JUST EPIC!!!!
I'm a new Nightwish fan, especially after listening to this record indeed...It's AMAZING!! br / First of all I loved the singles, especially the awesome Amaranth (beautiful and poetic the video too!) but the first long song is incredible too, called The Poet the Pendulum, because it has an Opera-kind of epic inspiration in it, (it has reminded me of the powerful Wagner's sound...I know it seems crazy, but I've had this feeling, as if the musician would have sound today); of course filled with the usual "North-Europe Gothic Rock", plus classic heavy metal sound of the'80ies and spiced up with the new singer's fresh voice, who has replaced the great soprano Tarja... br / br /I really respect and admire also the old singer, I know that she still has lots of fans, angry because she was "fired" from the band; but, despite the whole situation, this new cd is really excellent and with a brand new force in it, so I guess all worked out for the best solution... br /All in all, purchase it 'cause they definitely rock!! Even the artwork is very beautiful, you will love this new side of them, because even with the new nice touch of singer Annette Olzon (plus the usual solid vocals by "viking"Marco Hietala), they are still, more than ever, our beloved Nightwish!! br / br / (PS_Actually, nobody has really understood what exactly happened within the band, but having listened to Tuomas' talking in the old dvds...I've an idea that being the mastermind behind the entire project, from time to time he gets tired of someone or something, and for new artistic inspiration's purposes he likes to change, to move on, as to speak... br /By the way, I felt in love with them listening to Phantom of the Opera Wishmaster, through YouTube movies' ost, but I've appreciated also their new wave ;-D)

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review by: Axe Victim date: 2009-06-05 rating:
Album of the Millenium (so far)
Just when I thought I'd heard it all(having started listening to rock in the early 70's)I was pleasantly shocked when my nephew lent me this cd.The sound is stunning,the songwriting is powerful but unlimited in scope, the female singer has a beautiful voice and the overal impression is of a huge cinematic soundscape for some sci-fi blockbuster. br / The tracks range from very heavy to catchy pop to acoustic folk and much of the sound's colour comes from brilliant orchestration and excellent use of large choral forces.It's around 75 minutes long but doesn't feel like that and is chock full of highlights.Their new vocalist Anette delivers 2 great ballads(Eva and Meadows of Heaven)where the music builds towards powerful climaxes,and despite the unwarranted criticism from some reviewers I prefer her vocals to her predecessor Tarja.Tarja could not have sang the commercial "Amaranth" or "The Heart I Once Owned" anything like as well."Sahara" is another massive wall of sound which has shades of Sabbath's "Seventh Star" about it.Marco shows off his incredible range on a couple of tracks, and these two combined really show up how monotonouus the male-female vocalists in Lacuna Coil are. br / One of the highlights for me was hearing Troy Donockly (Iona)contributing uileann pipes to 2 or 3 tracks.The pipes (and low whistle combined with fiddle) add a delicious Celtic flavour to an already abundant panorama of sounds.The album's opening epic "Poet and the Pendulum" may be somewhat self-indulgent on Tuomas' part, but in the central passage blastbeat drums,riffing guitar and matching orchestral interplay produce one of the most jaw-droppingly powerful sequence of music I've ever heard.Every rock fan should at least hear this album.The last album to have the same sort of shattering effect on me was the debut by Montrose in 1973 ! br / The bonus disc in this special edition contain the orchestral backing tracks which are worthwhile and only a couple of quid dearer than the standard album. br / I own over 3,000 cds and this goes straight into the Top 12 ! BUY !

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review by: date: 2009-04-21 rating:
The Best Album I Have Ever Heard.
Before this album, I was not into Nightwish, although I did try, I just couldn't get into the lead vocals singing. After hearing this album however, I can now say that they are possibly my favourite band. br /Here's a short review of each song based on my opinions: br / br /The Poet and the Pendulum. 10/10 - As someone else has already said, the only way to describe this song is "epic". br / br /Bye Bye Beautiful. 10/10 - Wow, just Wow. br / br /Amaranth. 10/10 - The song that introduced me to this band. It's pure genius. The video is also worth a watch. br / br /Cadence of Her Last Breath. 10/10 - This song is so catchy, love the vocals in the chorus especially. br / br /Master Passion Greed. 7/10 - Worth a listen but not their best. br / br /Eva. 9/10 - Beautifully sung. The lyrics are very moving. br / br /Sahara. 8/10 - Good. heavy song, although I find not as catchy as some. br / br /Whoever Brings the Night. 10/10 - The chorus is awesome, this song is definitely one of the best. br / br /For the Heart I Once Had. 9/10 - A great song. Typical Dark Passion Play Track. br / br /The Islander. 10/10 - Different, catchy, everything you would want in a Nightwish song. Must listen. br / br /Last of the Wilds 8/10 - Instrumental. A nice and easy listen. br / br /7 Days to the Wolves. 6/10 - In my opinion the weakest track on the song. Still above standards. br / br /Meadows of Heaven. 9/10 - This song is extremely moving. Nightwish at their finest. br / br /Overall I would rate the album 10/10, a must buy for all. br / br /Matt

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review by: the film yeti date: 2009-04-01 rating:
Wow!
I'd never even heard of Nightwish before someone recommended this album, but what a find! Imagine what would happen if Evanescence and Linkin Park sat down to write an opera, (with occassional inspiration from the Corrs, bizarrely!) and you'd probably get something like this! This fab slice of Euro-rock varies between the hauntingly mellow and the stonking turn-it-up-loud, and the backing of a full orchestra and chorus for some tracks creates a real Wagnerian depth of sound. Best track is Amaranthe - if you've had a bad day at work, put this on, sing along and the world WILL be put to rights.


review by: date: 2009-02-20 rating:
Should I be enjoying it this much?
With songs about death, abuse, broken reltionships, decline, and other morbid topics, why am I sat here listening to this with a huge grin? I shouldn't be enjoying this music as much as I am. The ingredients are all there for solemnity - plaintive choral parts - delicate strings that move like wheat in the wind, bombastic attacks from both band and orchestra. This should be serious - it really should, but I cant help from smiling all the way through it. I think its because of the 'everything including the kitchen sink approach'. Take the first song - Pendulum and the Poet, its pretty full on, lulling you into a false sense of security with choral flowerettes until the full orchestra kick in. Not content with that, lets add some serious metal guitar. Not enough? OK lets add a full choir to belt it out too. See what I mean? Its relentless, and by the end of track one the listener is pretty breathless - its like standing behind a jet engine on take off. The pace barely slackens with the following pieces smoothing your brow with delicate melody before hitting you with a full on metal assault. I cant help thinking that Carl Orff who wrote Carmina Burana would love this. br / br /The pace changes with some almost folk moments towards the end which allow your eardrums to recover somewhat before Nightwish introduce yet another powerhouse to end the album Meadows of Heavens continues with what Pendulum started - full on metal, gospel, orchestration, and ballad. br /Play this loud of a quality hi fi and we are talking the realms of truly epic. br / br /Quite literally a breathtaking album. br / br /Right, I'm off for a lie down... br / br /

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