Nightwish (fi) Angels Fall First

Nightwish was initially founded as an acoustic band with Holopainen on keyboards, Tarja Turunen on vocals and Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen on guitar. In early 1997 drummer Jukka Nevalainen joined the band and acoustic guitar was replaced with an electric guita…

Oceanborn is the second studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. It was released in Finland by Spinefarm Records on 7 December 1998 and in the spring of 1999 worldwide. This album marked a definitive change in musical scope for Nightwish from their folk-laden roots in Angels Fall First, showcasing a more bombastic, power metal-oriented sound with faster tempos, harmonic guitar/keyboard leads, and plenty of double-bass-heavy drumwork. During that time, Stratovarius was Holopainen's biggest inspiration, hence the power metal sound of the album. Oceanborn's sound hearkens a more dramatic approach in the overall musical scope, mostly relegated to the symphonic keyboard work and lead singer Tarja Turunen's vocals.

Nightwish, one of the best metal bands out there, with one of the best singers in the world right now, performing a setlist of songs from across their career in front of a South American audience that goes insane in the way that only South American audiences do (and the energy of that crowd comes across on the CD as well as the DVD). There's a lot of pre-2005 material here, and Floor rises to the challenge, makes those songs her own, and truly impresses. There are moments of terror as you feel she's setting up a high note she has no chance of hitting - and then she does, spectacularly, laying to rest the ghost of Tarja once and for all. The whole band rise to the occasion behind her, and create one of the best live albums/DVDs of the decade!

First of all, Oceanborn is a huge step when thinking about Nightwish's debut album, Angels Fall First. All the elements of folk music and ambience are forgotten, and instead Nightwish have concentrated on using Tarja Turunen's wide voice and playing pure heavy metal…