HIGHEST HOPES - THE BEST OF NIGHTWISH

Back in 2005 the first album review I ever wrote was for Nightwish’s ‘Once’ CD. I didn’t know it at the time but mercurial frontwoman Tarja Turunen had already been sacked by the band, and this compilation had already been released and certified platinum in the band’s home country. This therefore has become the most definitive and timely retrospective on the Tarja era of the band, and a good choice for my 500th review.

Unfortunately I ended up with the vanilla version, which does not include the DVD (which I’ve seen and don’t really feel the loss of), nor does it have the Phantom of the Opera theme from the special edition (which I would have liked to have had included). Otherwise this is a great representation of the band’s first eight years.

The opening “Wish I Had an Angel” is still the most recognizable Nightwish tune, and showcases all the things that make them a guilty pleasure for so many progressive music fans. The bombastic, almost over-the-top arrangements and power chords, Turunen’s stunningly powerful vocals, and overall energy (see Mago de Oz or Rhapsody of Fire for the same type of Italian-Symphonic-on-steroids artsy power metal).

There’s no point in rehashing every track since most of them are culled directly from their various studio releases. That said, there are still some treats here. The live cover of Pink Floyd’s “High Hopes” is a faithful representation that breathes some modern life in to that timeless classic, even if Turunen doesn’t sing on it (I suppose it wouldn’t have made much sense for her anyway). Same goes for the Gary Moore song “Over the Hills and Far Away”, but Turunen does sing here and does a masterful job. “Sleeping Sun”, one of the band’s first singles is also a different version here, but since I’ve never heard the original (that I can recall), I don’t know what the differences are.

“Deep Silent Complete” from ‘Wishmaster’ is the track that was switched in the limited release in favor of the Phantom of the Opera theme, and while both are strong offerings the Phantom tune would have been a better choice for all versions of the collection.

In all this is a very good collection that seemed a bit premature and a bit unexpected since the band had just released a different boxed-set, but considering the milestone in the band’s progression this package ended up marking I think it turned out to be a solid offering.

Three stars for the nearly eighty minutes of great music, and here’s hoping the band finds new directions and greater musical challenges to take their music in their new form. A solid collection, but as with most compilations it’s not as good as owning the originals.

peace