Tarja era Nightwish - Pinnacle of Symphonic Metal!

I have enjoyed them as a 16 yo and whenever I return to them now (at 35) I am still just in awe about the sheer diversity and creativity in their compositions! And the incredible thing is: they aren't even overly proggy to achieve that! They retain a very easy-listenable sound, while literally EVERY SONG on these albums has its perfectly unique identity!!

They each have a very distinct and always catchy chorus and at least one special little treat (or several!) like a unique voice line accentuated by some nifty synths/an awesome riff or even some incredibly creative break or bridge (like some beautiful flutes out of nowhere with Tarja chiming back in madly operatic).
All while maintaining their compact structure and without ever drifting off into (unnecessary) experimentation. This for me is the true genius of Nightwish! Its just utterly perfect for those who enjoy this kind of magical and adventurous fantasy metal with female vocals thats still catchy as hell.

For me these 4 Nightwish albums (created in 1998-2004) are striking the perfect balance between complex and accessible while having an incredible amount of extremely memorable moments!

And while I listen to a lot of Epica (which are arguably even more epic and progressive in terms of compositions) and other less proggy but similar in style bands (like Within Temptation, Blackbriar,...), non of them really come close to Nightwish's perfect sense of wonder (Luca Turilli's Rhapsody maybe a close contender but lacks the strong female lead).

And do you know what? I never thought having a most favourite song ever would be possible, but recently it dawned on me, that I have found mine.
The best & most perfect song ever created in my ears is:

Nightwish - Ghost Love Score

Well, there you have it! Tarja era Nightwish for me is still the pinnacle of symphonic metal! 🔥

Thanks! 🙏💜✨
And merry Christmas! 🎄🤗

Top 7 Nightwish Albums