DARK PASSION PLAY

This new Nightwish completely exceeds all expectations. The new vocalist, Anette Olzon, has a wonderful voice with excellent range. Nightwish fans will immediately notice that the album sounds different than previous albums, mostly as a reflection of the new vocal abilities the band possesses. That is not to say, however, that the new album lacks the power of the previous albums, but that the band does have a new sound. As with their previous albums, Nightwish makes extensive use of orchestra (The Dark Passion Play Orchestra) and choral vocals (the Metro Voices and Metro Voices Gospel Choir) to back up the hard-hitting metal guitars and passionate vocals. This album should certainly appeal to fans of Nightwish, as well as to fans of symphonic metal and metal in general. The lead-off track, "The Poet and the Pendulum", is an operatic piece with 5 movements, and is an excellent opening for the disc, as it sets the stage for the tracks to come. The third track, "Amaranth", is a driving piece that really shows off the bands instrumental and vocal abilities, and also has a very catchy chorus that fans should find easy to fall in love with. The sixth track, "Eva", is a powerful and moving ballad, and it is the first track that fully demonstrates Anette's vocal abilities. The first track on the album to feature male-only vocals, those of bassist Marco Hietala, "The Islander" flows with the traditional sounds of seaside villages and makes you feel as though you are sitting in a tavern in a small coastal town listening to an old sailor's tale. The album closes with "Meadows of Heaven", a stunningly powerful half-ballad featuring male and female vocals, heavy guitars, and an amazing orchestral score. As a bonus, those who purchase the collector's edition of the album receive an extra track on the first disc ("Reach", which is the demo version of "Amaranth") as well as a second disc, which is the entire first disc without vocals (instrumentation only). All together this is by far one of the best metal albums I have heard in a very, very long time. 4.5 stars (if they would let me)!