.:: Oceanborn - The UK Nightwish Fanclub ::.

Article by Kirsten

This is where it all began - the very first Nightwish album. Released back when this Nightwish fan was still trying to learn the dance routines to Spice Girls songs, it's...different. A mixture of the "acoustic mood-music" that the band originally planned to make, and some more metalsome tunes, it's a far cry from the orchestra-driven pomp of "Once", or even the power metal-tinged stylings of "Oceanborn". But, while it's undeniably rough around the edges (occasionally sub-standard songwriting; Tuomas Holopainen's "unique" singing), there is something intensely likeable about "Angels Fall First" - a sort of wide-eyed, youthful enthusiasm, a sense that the band really enjoyed themselves while recording this. While this is something common to other albums (by both Nightwish and other artists), it seems particularly apparent on this disc - and the musicians' enthusiasm is contagious.

The album kicks off with the wonderfully cheesy "Elvenpath", the first of many Nightwish songs about fairytales and fantasy. But, with the exception of "Beauty and the Beast" (also on this album), none manage to raise a smile like this one. It could be the lyrics (example: "The moonwitch took me to ride on a broomstick/Introduced me to her old friend Home Gnome/Told me to keep the sauna warm for him..."), it could be the spoken-word bits from Lord of the Rings (done in a voice like Darth Sidius'!), it could be the great way that the guitars and keyboards harmonise. But whatever it is, it makes "Elvenpath" a very - for want of a better word - fun song,

If "Elvenpath" is cheddar, then "Beauty and the Beast" is Gorgonzola - far cheesier, and, as a result, far superior (yes, it's a terrible analogy...). Normally, when a metal song features the word "beast" in the title (especially with a capital letter), you can bet there's going to be at least one reference to the Devil. But not this time - this is a song about a fairytale (or more specifically, the Disney film based on the fairytale)! Sung by both Tarja Turunen (even on this early recording, singing with a soaring, majestic voice), and Tuomas Holopainen (to put it nicely, his talents lie in the directions of songwriting and keyboard playing, not singing), it's an enjoyable, well-written song, that doesn't quite manage to keep up the (very high) standard set in it's opening minutes.

Similar to "Beauty and the Beast" in it's use of male and female voices, "Astral Romance" is inferior to the former. This is mainly due to Holopainen's singing, which, while it doesn't ruin the song completely, does mar it somewhat. But, leaving aside the vocals, it's not a bad song at all. It's more guitar-heavy than some of the other songs, and closer in style to more recent ("Oceanborn"/"Wishmaster"-era) Nightwish songs. Also of note is a guitar riff "borrowed" from an Iron Maiden song, and harmonised, to great effect, on keyboards. It's a shame they left it out of the 2001 remake of the song, really...

The album closes with the acoustic "Lappi" (Lapland). Spread across four tracks, two of which are purely instrumental, and one of which is sung in Finnish, it's a beautiful, subtle song. While it might have some people running screaming back to their Cannibal Corpse albums, the fact that it's a folksy, acoustic number should not influence one's enjoyment of it. "Lappi" is a well written, but it sounds slightly dull when you first hear it. Its understated beauty only becomes apparent after a few listens.

While there are some great songs on "Angels Fall First", it might be wise to buy some of the later albums before this. Overall it's weaker than the other albums, and the bias towards acoustic tracks might put some off. But while it has it's faults, this is a very good album, and one that's worth listening to simply to see how Nightwish's sound has changed in the past seven years.