Article by David Cameron
On the evening of 29 February 2004, I was privileged enough to be one of a small group of lucky journalists to attend a special album preview session at the Phoenix Studios in North London. Whilst there, we were played a pre-mix recording of ‘Once' almost in its entirety. I must stress the ‘pre-mix' part, as clearly the final album will differ slightly to what we heard last night. However, below you can read my account of what to expect from Nightwish's fifth full length studio album.
‘Once'? What kind of a name is that! This seemed to be the general consensus around the time the title was revealed, and as a matter of fact, many had even pondered that the shorter song titles and album name suggested a more commercially orientated approach to this, arguably the bands most important release to date. However, this thought proved to be merely speculation from the very moment Ewo showed me into the listening room, and my ears were filled with possibly the heaviest, most crunching Nightwish riff to date!
So, to answer the inevitable question, just what does ‘Once' sound like? Is it Century Child take two and is there any truth in the rumours of a return to the ‘Oceanborn' sound? The answer is for the most part no, as Once steps up several rungs on the ladder from Century Child and is without question the bands most lavish material to date. While this release is unquestionably Nightwish and should disappoint no true fan, it is the band as you have never heard them before, more epic, heavier, darker and more emotive than on previous releases. Even the pre-mix tracks we were treated to demonstrated that this album presents Nightwish's ‘fullest' sound to date, with the orchestra and choir contributing hugely to the mix, with sounds coming at the listener from all directions.
This brings me neatly onto the orchestra. The London Session Orchestra features on nine of the eleven tracks on Once, and their presence is more than evident. The sound goes deeper than Tuomas has ever managed with his synth alone, and while at some points the music begins to resemble a more polished version of Metallica's S&M, at other times the sound is best described as Tarja singing along to a film soundtrack. This soundtrack influence has been evident on all Nightwish albums to date, however Once goes that step further in the sense that it actually does sound like film music in parts, rather than heavy metal with Hans Zimmer influences.
Now, all this talk of film scores may lead anyone who has not heard the album to assume that the guitars have taken a back seat role this time round. The first thing that struck me about the music was that the guitar parts are Nightwish's heaviest to date and certainly Emppu's most proficient on any Nightwish album. The riffs vary hugely, from modern sounding ‘classic' metal riffs (if the phrase makes any sense) to simple, chugging, low end riffs akin to those used by some more commercial bands. (this is not necessarily a bad thing). On top of this, there are several points where Emppu launches into some lightning finger work, with solos that fit far better with the music than any of his previous ones, and that are again reminiscent of the more classic metal bands.
Vocally, both Marco and Tarja feature on the album, although Marco features more as a backing vocalist this time round. There is also a great deal more experimentation with Tarja's voice, as you will read in the track by track review. While Marco overall sounds largely the same as on Century Child, Tarja's voice does sound a bit stronger this time round, note perfect as always but perhaps slightly less operatic than on earlier releases. I also felt the bass lines to be extremely strong on this album, maybe it was the rough mix we were hearing, but they sounded far more prominent than before.
Unfortunately, for some reason I don't recall hearing any huge differences with the drum work on this album, however Jukka is still playing some superb beats and in a range of styles.
And so onto specifics, this is a track by track preview of what to expect on the forthcoming album (minus the first track played). Unfortunately, there has been some confusion over which track is which, although the ones I have named are believed to be correct. There will be eleven tracks on the album, with a further three to be used as ‘bonus tracks' or B Sides.
So, here is what to expect the first time you slip Once into your CD Player:
Higher than Hope
This track begins with a quiet, acoustic guitar intro before we are hit with a pounding bassline from Marco accompanied by some atmospheric keyboard work from Tuomas. Here, the classic soft verse/heavy chorus option has been taken, with very prominent backing vocals (mainly from Marco) complimenting Tarja during the chorus. After two verses and choruses, we are greeted with a soft keyboard part which then gives way to a spoken word verse, in time this leads us on to a very deep sounding end riff. This is not quite the end however, as after all goes quiet, the band spring into life once more with one final chorus.
Planet Hell
An angry little number for Nightwish, with seemingly downtuned guitars and heavy orchestra lines. After the choral, classical intro, a heavy guitar/orchestra riff kicks in (the orchestra is very evident here) and eventually we hear Marco's voice ride over the top. Throughout, the keyboards maintain an atmospheric role, there is a high emphasis placed on the low end and Jukka makes best use of his double bass pedal. On several occasions, I even felt I could hear some Children of Bodom style keyboard/guitar powerchords. Tarja's voice in this sound sounds strong, although perhaps not quite operatic, more in the vein of a very good pop singer.
Romanticide
Emppu is on top form at the start of this, with what can only be described as a classic ‘old school' guitar riff, which is eventually backed up by some atmospheric keys. After a while, in comes a heavy chugging section (something I am beginning to find is a common feature on the album) and after this, we are treated to Emppu's most credible solo to date, a long, finger smoking affair which wouldn't be out of place in an Iron Maiden song. Something strange occurs after this however, an almost spoken part featuring Marco and Tarja kicks in, which can only be described as being like no Nightwish vocals ever previously recorded!
One thing I felt about this song, was that in parts it bore similarities to some of the ‘symphonic black metal' bands, Dimmu Borgir for example.
Wish I Had an Angel
An obvious single, this song initially reminded me of Ever Dream from Century Child, although later on I began to feel there was more than a slight resemblance to Slaying the Dreamer also.
There is no build up; we are hit straight away with a guitar riff which then leads into Tarja singing the verses, and Marco the chorus. Sample lyrics include ‘Burning Angel Wings to Dust' and ‘I wish I had an angel tonight'. A fairly simple song which is bound to become a live favourite on this summers tour.
Ghost Love Score
As soon as the first seconds of this song began pierced my ear drums, I knew what we were in for. Quite simply, this is Nightwish's most epic piece to date. You thought Beauty of the beast resembled a film score? That was nothing! I was sat in the listening room almost waiting for someone to switch on the ‘Titanic' DVD! This is the song I feel Nightwish have been progressing towards over all their previous releases, this song genuinely could have been lifted straight from a film.
The orchestra is used to its fullest here, and features throughout. For the intro, the orchestra takes pride of place accompanied by Tarja's vocals and a light drum beat from Jukka. We are then treated to a bombastic orchestra part, with guitars before the pace slows suddenly and a bass/keys driven verse begins. The choruses feature the choir quite heavily, and in parts almost resemble some of Tristania's vocal parts.
This lengthy (in a good way) song then goes on to feature some emotive quiet parts and a relaxed solo before the orchestra begins to fight for its place again. After this, we are then greeted with a lavish sound, made up of many layers and featuring all instruments with Tarja's voice over the top. In keeping with the traditional Nightwish theme of the ocean, sample lyric: ‘The Siren from the deep sang to me'.
Creek Mary's Blood
Another song which features the orchestra fairly heavily, the opening stages of this tune are reminiscent of the acoustic material from Angels Fall First although with a more atmospheric feel. The acoustic guitar is very evident. The second verse however, sees things kick in and eventually build up to an extremely emotional chorus and the whole song is slow and ballad like. In keeping with the classic rock guitar influences on the album, the solo wouldn't have been out of place on an early Dire Straits album!
Overall this is a very traditional Nightwish song, but with the added touch of the orchestra.
Dark Chest of Wonders
The first thing I though when I heard this was ‘Tarot'. The heavy opening riff really is similar to the work Marco has done with his other band, in keeping with this the bassline is extremely strong. The mix on this guitar based track however did seem a little rough, proven by the fact that later on we watched the choir recording their part for it, so the track was by no means complete. It is however unquestionably a Nightwish track, with some definite sing-along capabilities, I certainly had it in my head for a few hours afterwards! Perhaps another single candidate?
Track Nine (Bonus?)
This was the first time we heard a piano sound on the album, and from the outset was a fairly quiet song. In a rather bizarre move however, Tarja's vocals have been experimented with rather a lot here, making her sound almost like Kate Bush at times during the verses. We are however, then treated to a more traditional rock ballad style chorus. Despite the vocal experimentation, I found this to be one of only two weaker points on the album.
Track Ten (Bonus?)
An instantly appealing, happy intro gives way to the now familiar ‘Nightwish chug'. The whole song canters along at a reasonable pace, and for the first part is very listenable. However, I personally felt that the chorus didn't live up to the catchy nature of this intro riff and the solo was a little disappointing. Again, one of the weaker points of the CD (although bear in mind this may be one of the bonus tracks).
Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan
This is the track sung in Nightwish's native language, and will largely remind everyone once again of the Angels Fall First acoustic numbers, However, this isn't quite the same as those older tracks in the sense that musical backing is provided by the orchestra and keys rather than an acoustic guitar, although it is present. A nice relaxing tune.
Nemo
A piano part leads into this, the first single to be released from the album and from here, the bass, drums and Tarja kick in all at once. The simple guitars are very low in the mix here, especially compared to the other tracks and once again, the keyboards take on a largely atmospheric role. There is however a point where Emppu begins to play a solo almost as if out of nowhere! The whole song is based around the atmospherics on the keyboard, with other parts based around them. Very listenable, and another clear single. Sample lyric: Nemo, my name forever more'.
Track 13
A very Eastern sounding tune, evident in both the music and singing. This is another track in which the band has experimented with Tarja's voice. After a deep, low end riff the song becomes ballad like before returning to an almost galloping riff accompanied by eastern sounding keys. The chord progressions are extremely pleasing to the ear, and despite the relative simplicity of the song, it is extremely emotional in parts.
Where Were You Last Night (Cover)
As the first chords of this song chimed through the speakers, a look of bemusement appeared on the faces of all those present. Surely Nightwish hadn't covered a Bon Jovi tune? Well, actually they hadn't, as this is infact a cover of a well known Finnish Techno song apparently. I don't think anyone had realised this at the time however. As already mentioned, a Bon Jovi-esque, chord based cover version. Nice to listen to, and as a bonus track, well worth having.
