OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY

When i saw Nightwish here for the fist time , i get impressed immediately, i didnt think that they were progressive metal, im not an expertc of metal in general, but i already known Nightwish. Im still doubting about if they are or arent progressive metal, i dont know , and thats not the point. i have this album, i dont know really if it is a studio album or if is it an EP, i say this because here we can listen to 4 studio songs ( the first 4 songs), and the other are live songs, thats why im thinking of this as an EP.

The studio songs are pretty good, Away is the song that i prefer, and yes, we can listen to some symphonic passages which makes it some kind of progressive metal, good keyboards and a strong guitar oriented sound. Most of the people including myself, know about Nightwish because of Tarjas´voice, it is so powerful and strong, with beautiful tones in some ways and she can reach high notes ii think this is one of the principal characteristics of Nightwish. Also the guitarist sings in some songs, his voice is not great, but its good for the moments in this album This is not a kind of Thrash, or Speed metal, maybe it could be darker but not as darker as bands such as doommies Dummu Borgir, and musically maybe they are not as complex as other bands, but anyway they sound great., i think it is attractive for any metal lover.

The second part of the album is the live part, starting with "The Kinslayer", that is a great song, hard edged and with good rythm, i like it, all the live songs are maybe some of the most popular of them. For me the most beautiful part of the album is the 8th track " Walking in the Air", that song is really great, we can enjoy all the time the beautiful voice of Tarja, and the keys in the fund are great.

So , maye if you are a metal fan you will enjoy this album, because it has both studio and live albums and you can listen how is the sound of them, and if you are looking for some female vocals try this album, i recommend it, i like it, but i think they have a couple of better albums, 3.5 stars really.

For ten long years he'll count the days...

No, no, not a Led Zeppelin cover. On this EP Nightwish puts forth a couple of new tracks as well as a cover tune and a number of live tracks. Released shortly after the Wishmaster album this full studio-lengthed EP makes for a great supplement to it's studio parent. Of the studio tracks we have an excellent cover of Gary Moore's Over The Hills And Far Away, a tune they likely covered because the lyrical content of the song is so close to something they'd do themselves, and a trio of originals. Well, technically the fourth track is simply a remake of Astral Romance from their first studio album, but whatever.

As far as the songs go they're all quite strong. Over The Hills And Far Away does great justice to the original, with it's powerful drums starting the track and moving into the rest of the song. yes, of course, the song has been given a very Nightwish spin and if you didn't know it was a cover you probably probably think nothing of the tune because it's so close to their style. 10th Man Down is a melancholic (but heavy) tune with that ever present topic of war (well, in the metal scene anyways - this is a first for the band). A heavy riff and some nice vocals make for another standout song. ''Today I killed/he was just a boy...'', very powerful lyrics in this one make it all the better. Of course we're going to need a slow tune in here so Away makes for a slow and sad piece that fits the bill well.

Afterwards we have a wide selection of live tunes with picks from all their 3 albums (at this time), even though most of them come from the most recent (again, at this time) Wishmaster album. All the songs are performed very well and it's great to hear some live energy put behind them. The live tracks are quite a treat too since they band is more likely to put out singles and eps than live albums.

This is a very good ep and to be totally honest over the years it's been one of the more played discs in my collection by the band. Some great stuff here, although not much of it is very progressive, still metal and prog metal fans alike will enjoy tis one, Nightwish fans will be absolutely delighted. 3 men down out of 5, good but not essential. A good way to start with the band if you don't know them though!

This is really two EPs in one: the first is more of a single with three new songs (the cover of Gary Moore's Over The Hills And Far Away and Tuomas Holopainen's two new compositios, the gothic 10th Man Down and the ballad Away) and the remake of Astral Romance (recorded originally for their debut CD Angels Fall First). The other EP is a six song live recording from a show that was originally included on their first DVD, From Wishes To Eternity. So in the end you have a 50 minute EP that equalls in length many full CDs.

What about the quality of the songs? The celtic Over The Hills And Far Away was a very unlike choice for a heavy metal band, but it turned out so well it remained on Nightwish's live set for years. Very good. 10th Man Down and Away are good tracks but not very outstanding. Worth the inclusion, though. the remake of Astral Romance (with Sonata Artica's Tony Kakko sharing vocals with Tarja) is quite an improvement over the original version and is very welcomed. The live tracks are the most interesting, since this energetic perfomance is very well captured. Although I rather see them on the DVD, there's is no way to dany their powerful delivering of those tracks, really awesome. One of the Highlights is the beautiful and progressive Beauty And the Beast (again with Kakko remaking the male vocals), quite better than the studio version.

The production is good. The ironic note here is the fact that bassist Sami Vänskä designed the cover art (at least the brazilian edition of the CD, which is different from the one shown on PA). It was his last work with the band for he would soon be fired.

Conclusion: a very good idea to bring those two EPs together. It is a must have for any Nightwish fan. Hiwever I dont think it is the best starting point for a newbie. So I guess it is not enough for a four star rating, but deserves more than just 3. 3,5 stars.