Nightwish - Angels Fall First - guest review
Nightwish - Angels Fall First - guest review
Tracklist
01. Elvenpath02. 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]
Guest review by
Lanfawn May 07, 2004
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!
Written by Lanfawn | May 07, 2004
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Rating:
9.1
9.1
|
Rating:
9.1 |
Almost 20 years have passed since Nightwish released their debut album Angels Fall First. Many things have changed, but after their latest album Endless Forms Most Beautiful was released 2 months ago, I have been wondering which album is their best and who is Nightwish, what does this band stand for? Read more ›› |
Comments
Comments:
16
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 Posts: 1023 |
Posts: 1023
I though MS staff didn't allow song-by-song reviews  And I didn't wrote a such, wich I wanted to do 
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Posts: 13427
I agree, I don't like it either..
---- SLUDGE. DOOM. DEATH. Wait, what?  "The reason I'm running for president is because I can't be Bruce Springsteen." - Barack Obama
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| Posts: 1023 |
Posts: 1023
Well, I have nothing against the review, I am just annoyed that it got accepted. When I wrote the comment, I had just written a review to wich I wanted to do song by song, and I read that it was forbidden. 10 minutes later I just read a random review wich is a guest review with song by song. To bad.
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| Lanfawn
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Posts: 848
Amazing album! the best treck is Angels Fall First, I think it was Thoumas "first grate lyric" =)
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Posts: 6817
It's a good review....I like it....and I agree that Tuomas indeed doesn't have a voice....
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| Posts: 848 |
Posts: 848
its my favorite Nightwish album (wierd) because its the only one that lacks all that symphonic crap that gets really old.... really fast
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Posts: 2955
this album is really nice. i just listen nightwish becouse of some few songs, so im not an expert in this kind of music. But this album sounded better to me than Oceanborn, Century Child and any other. It has beautiful songs, and the Lappi song, with folk instruments (and Tarja in her finnish singing) its very nice. Best track: Lappi (Lapland): Erämaajärvi.
----  ---- member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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Posts: 2466
"A deeper shall be the wound between your legs" from Nymphomaniac Fantasia. No comment.
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Posts: 8703
"Beauty And The Beast" and "Nymphomaniac Fantasia" are the higlights...plus some bonus songs of 2007 re-release (including their first demo)...otherwise i found this album weak compared to what came next...
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep 
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| ErnilEnNaur
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Posts: 474  |
Posts: 474 Written by Uirapuru on 16.03.2008 at 10:33 +1
---- Beware the Shadows of Dusk
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Posts: 11  |
Posts: 11
I, too, like Angels Fall FIrst better than Oceanborn. Why? Oceanborn was a technical masterpiece. Angel's Fall FIrst might have lacked the technique we hear in Oceanborn, but I feel it had more heard and soul.
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