ONCE

I was expecting to like this album a lot because I do like female singers fronting Metal bands, and obviously NIGHTWISH have been fairly successful. I was surprised at the Power- Metal style here as I wasn't expecting that. I don't mind that style but it's not a favourite by any means. The other thing was the vocals which just don't do much for me surprisingly enough. Just not a fan of her vocal tone really. The added orchestra and choir are also things i'm not big on but don't mind. I do like the heaviness though, and I can appreciate why this Finnish band is so popular.

"Dark Chest Of Wonders" kicks in heavily with some nice riffs. The keyboards are prancing around. Vocals after a minute. It turns even heavier and we get that Power-Metal-like rhythm. "Wish I Had An Angel" has these catchy riffs before it settles with reserved vocals. We get male and female vocals on this one. "Nemo" opens with piano as heaviness kicks in. Themes are repeated. Nice guitar solo after 2 1/2 minutes. "Planet Hell" features the orchestra and choir rather prominantly. It kicks in around a minute. Male and female vocals on this one too.

"Creek Mary's Blood" is a nice change with the native chanting, acoutic guitar and flute. Strings too and it's pretty uplifting around 2 1/2 minutes. Native spoken words come in late. "The Siren" sounds really good to open and it settles when vocals come in. Some sitar in this one as contrasts continue. "Dead Gardens" builds to a nice crunchy sound quickly. Vocals join in. Love the sound from 3 1/2 minutes to the end. "Romanticide" is a top three track with the excellent guitar and drumming. "Ghost Love Score" features lots of orchestra and we get some choir early. "Kuolema Tekee Tateihjan" is sung in Finnish with some orchestration and acoustic guitar. "Higher Than Hope" is mellow with reserved vocals before it kicks in before 1 1/2 minutes. Contrasts continue.

Good album but not a 4 star record in my books.