FROM WISH TO ETERNITY - LIVE

What an excellent rock DVD this one is!! For those of you who like the head-banging stuff, this one is for YOU! Definitely! Quite honest with you, by the time I got this DVD sometime early 2002 I was not into the kind of this music. But man .. Once I watched this DVD, I was really stunned and hooked to the band. I love their soft (but transparent, really!) guitar riffs and enchanting "orchestral" keyboard sound! It's killing mannn ...!! I tell you . it's killing!

For those of you who don't really like head-banging thing, don't worry .. This is not the kind of METALLICA style, it's totally different stuff. You still probably like this DVD. These guys in NIGHTWISH are really virtuoso in creating a melodic prog met music! Open you mind, relax . and enjoy the stuff! If you are into the stuff like DEEP PURPLE or LED ZEPPELIN or URIAH HEEP . it's still accessible for your ears and eyes.

The DVD kicks-off with an orchestral, melodic keyboard work performed by the mastermind of the band Tuomas Holopainen in totally head banging style. I like the audience hysteria to welcome the band on stage. They seem very familiar with the opening track, even all tracks performed. I even had never heard their music the music quite well when I watched the video. Audience clapping at the intro part of the first track has enriched the atmosphere of the show. It must be a fabulous show (I guessed) the first time I watched the opening. The music is full with energy performed in soft and smooth kind of metal. The guitar riff is really stunning, augmented by the melodic keyboard sound. Oh . what a wonderful composition!

The lead singer Tarja Turunen performed her best with "opera" singing style; great voice. Jukka Nevalainen looks after the drum stools in an attractive and dynamic way and has drawn our attention to him due to his energetic appearance. Empu Vuorinen looks after the lead guitar where he produced nice guitar riffs at the right side of the stage. Unfortunately the bass player, Sami Vänská, is rarely appearing on video screen. For sure he was position at the left side of the stage (from audience' view). Tuomas and Tarja were positioned at the center front of the stage.

Track 4 "The pharaoh sails to Orian " brings their music to the next level where the guest singer with "growl" singing style combined with Tarja's voice has made the music is much enjoyable. The music, even though performed in relatively fast tempo with double pedal bass drum, but still under "melodic" scheme. The piano usage in the musical scheme has made the song fruitful with some sort of classical touch. The keyboard sound in some transitions are really stunning.

In "Wanterlust", the combination of lead guitar and keyboard sounds is really fascinating. When Tarja voice comes into play, it makes even better. The chorus line of this track is wonderful. The interlude with keyboard followed by lead guitar is something worth enjoying. Sometimes, the keyboard sound has created a symphonic nuance. The audience is getting hot with this short track.

This band is not only great with progressive metal. They perform very well with a ballad style in "Dead boy's poem". The acoustic guitar opening is really cool. The piano work is also excellent augmented by the boy's poem reading. So melodic and memorable.

The encore of the show is three songs "Walking in the Air", "Beauty and the Beast" and "Wishmasster". Again, Tarja invited a guest vocalist under "Beauty and the Beast". Overall, it's a highly recommended DVD to buy. The only shortcoming is probably the camera shooting that sometimes I don't think it shoot the right target for some music segments. Rating: 4.5 / 5. GW, Indonesia.