|
Finland's Nightwish originally began as an acoustic project by keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen (from the band Nattvindens Gr�t) who sought to create something different and unique from what he had been playing before. He ultimately created three songs consisting of keyboards, acoustic guitars and the female vocals of professionally trained opera singer Tarja Turunen. In April 1997 the band entered the studio to record seven new songs they had written, now including electric guitars and drums. After the recording they received offers from various labels and decided to sign with Finland's Spinefarm Records. Their astonishing debut album, Angels Fall First, was released in Finland in October 1997 and the rest of Europe in March 1998. Angels Fall First featured 12 songs of atmospheric metal with incredible female vocals, heaps of gothic elements and an energetic, upbeat sound. In December 1998, Nightwish unleashed the surprise success of the year: Oceanborn. The superior new material had unsuspecting metal aficionados suddenly taking notice causing the album to shockingly climb to Number 5 on the official Finnish album chart (staying on the charts for over 30 weeks) and springing off three Top 10 singles! Nightwish commenced touring Europe playing clubs and large festivals, rapidly building up their fan base to immense proportions. In early 2000, the band entered Finland's top recording facility, Finnvox Studio (Sentenced, Stratovarius), to lay down their third, and most accomplished, full-length entitled Wishmaster. The new album was released in Europe in May 2000 and immediately hit Number One on the Finnish charts, holding the position for three weeks and eventually going gold in a short period of time. Now the time is for the band to make their long-overdue mark on North American audiences with Century Media USA proudly licensing Wishmaster for domestic distribution. One listen to the band's awe-inspiring originality and you'll know why they are so well received throughout Europe. Tarja's powerful operatic vocal style will instantly capture your attention and hold it throughout the entire affair while the band members fire off the most mind-blowing, dynamic musicianship the scene has to offer. Jetting from fast tempo compositions to dreamy ballads, Nightwish deploy dazzling keyboard/guitar interplay to breathe energetic life into each melodic track while the earth-shaking rhythm section (double bass drumming included) rumbles within. There is no denying the fact that Nightwish are at the top of their game, knowing how to write memorable songs that defy any singular description in order to inject some fresh ideas into the often unoriginal metal realm. |
|
