CENTURY CHILD

This is Nightwish's fourth studio record and is the best album IMO but best is too overused!!!. Unlike the previous I have heard this album is more harder sounding, Orchestra is less of a role here and is stepped aside with some good guitar work.

A mix of Prog Metal, Symphonic and softer rock tunes, Tarja Turanen's operatic singing and orchestration still gives it that symphonic sound.

Lloyd- Webber/Rice's "Phantom of the opera" is covered and is a very good cover too, also my favourite, 5/5!!!.

"Bless the Child" A brilliant symphonic track and feature hard rocking guitars and powerful singing , a brilliant melodic symphonic metal track and scores 4/5!!!

"End of all Hope" My favourite power symphonic track, with attitude, absolutely stunning, 5/5!!!

"Dead To The World" A different vocalist add the role here and he is very good, extremelt talented singer mixes well eith the main lead vocalists voice, the music as usual has good orchestral compositions and complexity, is a excellent track, 4/5!!!.

"Ever Dream" Nightwish use their own unique intro and is an excellent track, 4/5!!!

"Slaying the Dreamer" I agree with the reviwer who said this song at some parts sounds like Megadeth, I know this as I like their music, excellent symphonic metal, and has the resembalance to my 80s metal heroes Megadeth, 5/5!!!

"Forever Yours"

Forever Yours is 4 minutes long and a ballad song (I am not a big fan of ballads!!!), to whimpy for me, a poor track, and it is awful for Nightwish to have a poor track as they are so good, shame, 2/5!!!

"Ocean Soul"

Ocean Soul will make up for Forever Yours, as it is a bit more upbeat, a bit more upbeat but not much, an average slump, 2/5!!!

"Feel For You"

Feel For You again is 4 minutes long, a slow song but not offputting at all, very dramatic and Tarja and Marco sing very well, orchestration thrown in for good cause, very good but not excellent, 4/5!!!

"Phantom of the Opera" a good cover version and is my favourite track on the album, much better from some of those soppy tracks and make up well for that matter, Nightwish has done the right move covering this, be terrible if they covered "Barbie Girl" (joke aside!!!), again Tarja and Marco do a brilliant effort with the vocals, 5/5!!!, errie organ intro (but I like it!!!)

"Beauty Of The Beast"

10 minutes long, now were getting into 70s Prog territory now (the long timings I mean!!!), this is an interesting epic track, very symphonic and lovely orchestrated (only in progmetal I do orchestras) , a magnifique creme de le creme song, 5/5!!!

Album cover design is lush and progressive, prog to the eye, it tempts you to buy this and so it should!!!.

FINAL VERDICT:

A fantasic LP and is recommended 99%!!!

A total score of 10 / 10!!!