Maximum Metal Rating Legend
5 Excellent - Masterpiece. A classic.
4.5-4 Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a lacking.
3.5 Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some filler.
3 Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a half/half ratio.
2.5-2 Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors.
1.5-1 Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.
0 Terrible - Waste of your life and time.

Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style. Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

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The best way to determine how much you may like certain music is to listen to it yourself.
Band
Nightwish
Title
Oceanborn
Type
LP/EP
Company
Spinefarm
YOR
1998
Style
Power
1/31/2003 - Review by: Frank Hill
Nightwish - Oceanborn - reviewed by: Nailer

Track Listing
1. Stargazers
2. Gethsemane
3. Devil & The Deep Dark Ocean
4. Sacrament Of Wilderness
5. Passion And The Opera
6. Swanheart
7. Moondance
8. The Riddler
9. The Pharaoh Sails To Orion
10. Walking In The Air
11. Sleeping Sun
Since I like a decent amount of power metal with its higher-pitched, melodic vocalists, a couple of my buddies like to goof and tell me that I listen to "opera metal".

Well, if you take Helloween, Yanni and Charlotte Church and stick them together in a band then you'd have--Nightwish's "Oceanborn".

Instead of your traditional metal delivery, lead singer Tarja, performs like she's got the starring role in Carmina Burana at the Met--real opera singing. I had expected the songs to be slow-tempo and similar to The Gathering's "Mandylion", so I was quite surprised to hear the fast-paced, guitar riffs similar to other European power metal bands. The keyboards are a bit odd in the mix with a new age sound that made me feel like I was listening to a fairy tale in Hell. The production on the disc is excellent with a nice drum sound.

This disc is definately not your standard power metal and given the operatic vocals and new-agey keyboards, I'd have to say that the normal metal listener shouldn't go buying this on a whim. If you're really adventurous and open-minded try and listen to a couple song samples online and see what you think. The band has great reviews online, but I think you have to acquire a taste for this stuff. It didn't work for me.


--Reviewed by Nailer 1.31.03
  • 1 :REVIEW COUNT
    2.5 :AVE RATING

ALL REVIEWS FOR: NIGHTWISH
TITLE
DOR
COMPANY
REVIEWER DATE MADE RATING
Century Child
2002
Century Media
Ken Pierce2/26/2005
-
From Wishes To Eternity
2002
Spitfire
Ken Pierce9/21/2004
5
Nightwish
2015
Nuclear Blast
Greg Watson4/15/2015
4.5
Oceanborn
1998
Spinefarm
Frank Hill1/31/2003
2.5
Once
2004
Nuclear Blast
MetalKnight11/12/2004
3.5
Once
2004
Nuclear Blast
Frank Hill7/20/2004
4.5

ALL INTERVIEWS FOR: NIGHTWISH
INTERVIEW INTERVIEWER DATE TAGLINE


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