Century Child

---

---

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2009-04-03 rating:
The album that launched Nightwish to the stars.
Since they were founded, Nightwish had been growing rapidly and gathering a hardcore, steady fanbase. Their third studio album 'Wishmaster' had imprinted them on the mainstream metal scene and popularised the genre now known as symphonic metal. However, this album rocketed them further forward and gained them a whole new audience of fans. This is the first Nightwish album to feature Tarot lead vocalist and bassist Marco Hietala on bass and his impact is heard, not through his bass, but the excellent vocals that he provides on many of the tracks. Nightwish had been crying for a full-time male vocalist since they began but no-one in the band had been able to provide this. Anyway, time for the track by track review: br / br /Bless the Child - The album kicks off with some fantastic orchestral arrangements and some words spoken over the top. This song sets the scene for the album and the songs that Nightwish would eventually perform on the 'Once' and 'Dark Passion Play' albums. Tarja's vocals are much more audible on this album as the 'full-on operaness' of her voice has gone and is made much more tasteful. A great start to the album. 8/10 br / br /End of all Hope - The previous track perfectly suges into this song that always reminds me of the title track of the previous album 'Wishmaster' as it has that kind of rhythm in the chorus. It's very well sung by Tarja and really showcases her voice. However, not as good as some of the amazing tracks to come... 7/10 br / br /Dead to the World - This has become one of my favorite Nightwish songs and is the first time in the Nightwish discography that we are introduced to Marco Hietala's voice. His powerful lines cut across the guitar riff perfectly backed up by Tarja. The chorus is probably one of the most powerful and really gets you singing. Still a staple in their live sets. 10/10 br / br /Ever Dream - One of Tuomas' most beautiful compositions in my opinion. The intro piano with Tarja's voice really relaxes the listen before opening up into some pounding but yet (still) relaxing rhythm. Marco's chilling backing vocals in the choruses really add to the song and raised it to being considered as one of the best Nightwish songs by many people. Emppu also performs one of his best and most melodic guitar solos after the second chorus. 9/10 br / br /Slaying the Dreamer - Emppu's main contribution to the album and I have to say that I think that it is his best riff, and best composition for Nightwish. He really is underrated as a guitarist! Tarja sings the verses fantastically and joins on the choruses to make them very powerful and very heavy. After the main body of the song, it decends into a really heavy part with Marco's snarling vocals cutting across all the music. A fantastic song. 9/10 br / br /Forever Yours - The beginning of the second half of the album begins with a slow song with lots of atmospheric keyboard. Another showcase of Tarja's voice. A nice song. 7/10 br / br /Ocean Soul - I can't help feeling that this song is nothing more than filler. It's a good song just not up to the amazing standard of the rest of the album. The chorus is pretty strong but I feel that the verses are quite weak by Nightwish's standard. 6/10 br / br /Feel For You - This is similar to the previous song but much stronger. This is probably due to the presence of Marco's pounding bass line at the start and his vocals. How did they manage without him? Jukka's drums in this song are very powerful and stand out. 7/10 br / br /The Phantom of the Opera - This song was crying out to be covered by Nightwish and with the aquisition of a permanant male voice, the Phantom could be brought to life! It keeps the awesomeness of the original but makes it much heaiver and could be a Nightwish song. Also check out the live version that can be heard on 'End of an Era' is so much better and is probably one of the best performances Nightwish have ever done. This version is not quite as powerful as on the live album but still amazing. 9/10 br / br /Beauty of the Beast - When this album was released, this song was the longest that they had ever written at 10:24 (this has since been beaten by 'The Poet and the Pendulum'). After the very Marillion-esque keyboards in the intro the first part of the song 'Long Lost Love' begins with Tarja's angellic vocals being joined by Marco's in perfect harmony. The second part of the song 'One More Night to Live' is equally as powerful and really hits the listener with hard rhythms. The third and final part 'Christabel' is equally as good and rounds off a fantastic Nightwish song that oozes power and musical talent. 10/10 br / br /This album really is fantastic and really cemented Nightwish's place in the throne of symphonic metal. They truely are the kings (and queens) of the genre and I hope they continue to write amazing music!

---

review by: date: 2008-11-28 rating:
A Nightwish Classic.
This is one of Nightwish's most Classic albums. br / br /The music is stunning and the vocals are so haunting. br / br /Nearly every track is a stand out one. br / br /Bless the Child, End of All Hope, Dead to the World, Ever Dream, Slaying the Dreamer, Ocean Soul and, of course, the Phantom of the Opera which is better than any of the orignal Andrew Lloyd Webber stage show performances. br / br /This album is so full of energy, and a must for any Nightwish Fan, Old or New. br /

---

review by: Twitch date: 2008-06-21 rating:
The beast is awakening
Century child is the 4th studio album from the mighty Nightwish. It is a dark album which, Tuomas described in interviews at the time `as the album that saved his life'. He was going through depression at the time, which is quite evident in the music you will hear. If you have listened to all of the Nightwish albums thus far you will hear the progression of the band, as each album they release all the way up to DPP is musically more epic and powerful than all the previous releases. Tuomas had not yet got to work with a proper orchestra yet however was able to work with the Joensuu city orchestra on 5 tracks meaning there are an extra 32 musicians at work. This album is another glimpse of the greatness that will come... br / br / During the recording of the album there was a line up change where original bassist Sami Vanska, who worked with them on the Oceanborn and Wishmaster albums, was asked to leave the band. Tuomas said that they wanted to get a more proficient bassist and a male vocalist to add more depth to the music. This is how they came to hire Marco Hietala who was well known in the Finnish music scene for his powerful vocals with his band Tarot, he was also a great bass player and so they could by hiring him "kill to birds with one stone" a quote Tuomas gave at the time. br / br / The album itself is in my opinion at least is an amazing creation with 3 of their best ever songs, and many others that are great as well. br / br /1) Bless the Child- A great song that starts with a spoken introduction by Sam Hardwick, the same boy who spoke the final verse of the song dead boy's poem from the Wishmaster album. I has a nice vocal melody and a good guitar beat that is backed by a nice symphonic sound. A good opening track. 8.4/10 br / br /2) End of All Hope- A good song that has a good beat but not the most creative chorus in the world. Has a nice guitar solo if you can call it that, it's just too small, needed to be prolonged. 7.6/10 br / br /3) Dead to the World- A decent song that is radio friendly and has some nice lyrics and is also the first time you hear Marco on the album. His vocal style somehow works with Tarja even though she is clearly the better vocalist. 7.5/10 br / br /4) Ever Dream- One of the best tracks on the album and has some beautiful lyrics to accompany the beautiful music. Nice guitar riff and synth sounds, as well as well as spine tingling backing vocals from Marco. 9.1/10 br / br /5) Slaying the Dreamer- This is an angry song that utilizes Marco's Powerful voice to express this. My interpretation of this song is that it's about greed and the evils of money hence the lines br /"You bastards tainted my tool, br / Raped my words played me fool, br / Gather your precious glitter br / And leave me be" br / br /There is also reference to vampires, br /"Put a stake through my heart! br / And drag me into sunlight, br / So awake your greed br / As your slaying the dreamer". br / br /A great song and one of my favorites off the album, with a great beat that leads into Marco's vocals, a definite head banger at live shows and at home by yourself. 8.9/10 br / br /6) Forever Yours- A beautiful soft song that is the ballad of the album. Nice lyrics and slow soft music that compliment the song and that has a surprising amount of power. 7.7/10 br / br /7) Ocean Soul- A good song that somehow feels like an album filler. Don't get me wrong its good just not the best Nightwish have ever done. One of the more forgettable tracks but doesn't bring down the overall quality of the album. 6.3/10 br / br /8) Feel For You- Like ocean soul its good just not amazing, the best thing about this are Marco's vocals that are strong and are accompanied by a decent beat. 6.4/10 br / br /9) Phantom of the Opera- The best musical song of all time that has the amazing- don... don don don don don (sorry couldn't help it). Nightwish do a good job but the vocals in the end when Marco screams "sing for me, my angel of music"; seem underdone as Tarja voice just doesn't resonate from the speakers as you would expect. Listen to their version on End of an Era (9/10) much more powerful and overall a better performance. This version only, 7.4/10 br / br /10) Beauty of the Beast- This is the epic track from the album and the best song for it, and at a length of 10:22 is split into 3 different parts. The vocals are beautiful and the lyrics amazing. The music is jaw dropping and at the time their most orchestral song. The melodical changes in the vocals and the music are fantastic and will give you the hairs and back thing. It has since been outdone by the musical scores on Once and Dark Passion Play, but is still epically gorgeous. 10/10 br / br /Bonus Tracks: br / br /11) Lagoon- A decent enough track that has a nice vocal melody from Tarja. 7.2/10 br / br /12) The Wayfarer- Another decent track. This is the faster of the two bonus tracks. 7/10 br / br /Overall Rating 7.25 br / br /A beautiful album that is well worth the price. You won't be disappointed if you buy it and if you're a Nightwish fan will find some of your favorite Nightwish songs so far. If you are new to the band I recommend you start with Angels Fall First or at the very least Oceanborn and work up album by album as you can hear the progression and evolution of the band. Another Masterpiece from one of the greatest music writers since the classical giants and a possible Hans Zimmer of the future. Tuomas I have no doubt could one day write a film score, I for one would love to see him working with Hans Zimmer on Pirates of the Caribbean 4 in the near future. br / br / br /Notice br /To all Amazonians please try out Savatage they are the most underrated band of all time, if you have good taste you will love them. Listen Now!!! br /

---

review by: date: 2008-01-02 rating:
5 stars not enough
The origional album is awesome. This version (I own it) is the origional with two new tracks and three live performances added to it. br / br /The origional was excellent, so it deserves 5 stars for that due to their style and excellent ability to play and write lyrics. To truly apreciate this album you need to play it a few times and listen carefully, otherwise it all sounds the same, but after this you notice the subtle differences of each track. br / br /The bonus tracks are noting remarkable. Lagoon and Wayfarer seem to be made up of bits of the other tracks. The live tracks are better, as you come to appreciate how much they put into the studio recordings and are worth listening to in their own right. br / br /Overall this collectors edition (Amazom mis-labelled it) belongs in everyone's collection, but those who buy it for the bonus tracks may be disappointed. br /If you do not own the origional, then you are missing something special


review by: date: 2007-12-17 rating:
Totally Brilliant!
I started listening to Nightwish completely by accident, and in all honesty, it's the best accident i've ever had! The lyrics are haunting and the music is breathtaking. This album was actually the third one i came to listen to and, despite the darker and gloomier tone, i still love it, and have listened to it nearly every day since i bought it. My fave tracks have to be forever yours, bless the child, ever dream and i love the phantom of the opera. Nightwish is simply one of the best bands ever!

---

Similar products

Oceanborn
Wishmaster
Once
Dark Passion Play
Angels Fall First

---

Similar categories

Music . Styles . Hard Rock Metal . Bestsellers
Music . Substores . Regular Stores . Artist Pages Filter Nodes . Main Albums
Music . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . CD . CD Album

---