Article by
Jessica Ball
Nemo - There's nothing better than a well made song with a good beat, great vocals and lyrics, great guitar lines and bass, and not to mention the great involvement of a keyboard. Nemo has all of this. Some people may very well say that the keyboard lines sound like they could be taken out of a HIM song (one of Finland 's most known rock/metal artists). However, even if this is the case, the rest of the band, along with Tarja and the lyrics, can save it from that and bring it back into an original Nightwish sounding track.
The lyrics for this song are emotional, and sound like something Tuomas would write while thinking of something personal - very personal. In my opinion, Nemo is one of the greatest tracks ever written by Nightwish. The orchestra is involved quite a lot, but in this track Tuomas shines through. Tarja's vocal works are brilliant aswell, and Emppu's guitar solo makes the song even bigger! But what really makes the song, is the emotion in Tuomas' playing and the orchestra.
Planet Hell - In a sense of music, this song could be known as Slaying the Dreamers big brother. In a sense of vocals and lyrics, Dead to the World springs to mind. Both Marco and Tarja sing on this track, and Marco sets the atmosphere great. The music also sets an atmosphere, which is hard to explain. But the thing that shot out at me first time I heard it, is that there is no hope in the lyrics of Planet Hell. Unlike songs like Devil And The Deep Dark Ocean, where Wilska is singing (growling if you like), then at the end, Tarja brings the lyrics to life. In Planet Hell, the story is basically "Save a penny for the ferryman, or your going to hell". But don't be put off by that. Planet Hell is an all round good song.
White Night Fantasy - First impressions where, quite frankly, bad. Tarja's singing is very experimented with here, and the music is less than good. Lyrics - okay, but nothing special. That was only first impressions though. After numerous listens, Tarja's singing started to fit the feel of the song, the music started to fit Tarjas singing, and the lyrics fitted the music perfectly. I think everyone's first impressions were "What was Tuomas thinking?" But now, many people have come around and seen that everything does, eventually, fit together.
Nemo (Orchestral Version) - This version of Nemo is purely Tarja singing and the orchestra playing. There are no drums or bass, and only Tuomas playing along with the orchestra, Emppu's solo is also still present. Apart from that, it is just Tarja and orchestra. This version has absolutely no trace of pop in it, unlike what many think of the album version of it, and so this one is going to be popular amongst quite a few fans.
