Band:	Nightwish
Album:	Angels Fall First
Style:	Symphonic power metal
Release date:	November 01, 1997
Guest review by:	Lanfawn

01. Elvenpath
02. Beauty And The Beast
03. The Carpenter
04. Astral Romance
05. Angels Fall First
06. Tutankhamen
07. Nymphomaniac Fantasia
08. Know Why The Nightingale Sings
09. Lappi (Lapland)
    1 - I: Erämaajärvi
    2 - II: Witchdrums
    3 - III: This Moment Is Eternity
    4 - IV: Etiäinen
10. Once Upon A Troubadour [2004 digipack Spinefarm re-release bonus]
11. A Return To The Sea [2004 digipack Spinefarm re-release bonus]
12. A Return To The Sea [2007 re-release bonus]
13. Nightwish [demo] [2007 re-release bonus]
14. The Forever Moments [demo] [2007 re-release bonus]
15. Etiäinen [demo] [2007 re-release bonus]

Nightwish is the band among bands. The epic among epics. The... oh you get the point. This Finnish power/symphonic metal act has more or less acquired a status of having no truly bad songs. Even those who are not fully Nightwish enthusiasts (unlike me) often have a hard time finding something really big to complain about. That's partly what this album is here for! Angels Fall First, the first release by Nightwish was quite odd. The band lacked a bass player at this point and they were still pretty inexperienced, not to mention that the lyrics were very weird. I'd give you examples, but you wouldn't believe me. Let's take a dive in the world of 1997's Nightwish.


The CD opens up with Elvenpath, which is definitely the best song of the album. It's still one of the live favorites whenever they decide to play it, it has many of the elements which makes Nightwish a successful formula today what's with speedy solos, excellent vocals & a very catchy chorus. The only weird thing in this one is well... the lyrics, but also the fact that they have sampled clips from the animated Lord of the Rings movie. (WTF?)

The album continues with Beauty And The Beast. This song is a duet between Tarja & Tuomas (Nightwish's main songwriter & keyboardist). Tuomas voice, however, is not much to cheer about. It's not a big surprise that he eventually stopped performing vocally in the band. The song has a catchy chorus but other than that I don't care much about it.

Next is The Carpenter. This was the very first single Nightwish released and it actually sold well, which is funny considering it's horrible. The construction is awkward, the chorus boring and on top of that Tuomas sings in it. And as mentioned, his vocals scare me.


Astral Romance & Angels Fall First comes next, both are ballads. They are not very good. I can't say much more about them, except that you can hear elements of what signifies Nightwish today what's with the opera & epic feeling. But sadly it's not executed too well. The lack of a bass player is VERY evident.

Tutankhamen is a bit better than the 2 prior tracks. It has a bit of an Egyptian feeling and a fair chorus. It's decent on the whole.

Nymphomaniac Fantasia has the honor of being called the weirdest Nightwish song ever, and Tuomas himself is ashamed of the lyrics he wrote for it. He should be.

Know Why The Nightingale Sings is a lot better than all tracks on the album except Elvenpath. It sounds more like that song, making it successful and definitely the second best track.

Finally the album ends with Lappi [Lapland] that is an epic clocking in at 9:20. I love epic tracks normally, but this one lacks structure. Really, it does. It has a segment of witch drums that is kind of pretty, but other than that it stinks. In Nightwish's latest effort (Once), there's a song in Finnish that is very beautiful. But in Angels Fall First, Tarja gives us the impression that Finnish is impossible to sing in a nice manner because in Lappi it makes you cry. And not in a good way.

Looking back on this review I guess it does look like I butchered the first album of my favorite band. This is not true. I am just being a bit critic. While it is definitely the worst Nightwish release ever, it's still worth a listen. If not else to experience the roots of Nightwish. Because this is where the legacy of the world's most epic band begins. So do like me, and walk the path of the elves!