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| Once | 
 enlarge | Artist: Nightwish
Label: Roadrunner Records
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $9.76
You Save: $9.22 (49%)
New (37) Used (8) from $8.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  176 reviews
Sales Rank: 2530
Format: Extra Tracks
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.199999980927
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 618217
UPC: 016861821722
EAN: 0016861821722
ASIN: B0002ZYE1Y
Release Date: October 5, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new Item. CD, DVD, Book, VHS more than 400 000 titles to choose from. ALL days Low Price !
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| Customer Reviews:
 Nightwish- Once. August 27, 2005
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I think Nightwish are getting better from album to album. the first one was good, but not so good. the second was wonderful. the third one was the best."century child", the forth is one of their best album. In my opinion nightwish got 3 excellent albums. the first one is "wishmaster" (2000)' the second is "century child" (2002) and the third is this album- "once" (2004).
and now i'm gonna rate each song, and i'm gonna tell few words about it.
1. dark chest of wonders- 5+/5- One of the best songs on the album.
2. wish i had angel- 5/5- I dont know why most of the people don't like this one, but I liked him from the forst time i heard it.
3. nemo- 4/5- I dont really like this song, though it not so horrible.
4. planet hell- 4.5/5- again, a great song.
5. creek mary's blood- 5/5- I think this native american song is great. took me some time to get used to this song, but i like him a lot at this moment.
6. the siren- 5++/5- I thins it's the best song on the album. most of the song is music, but i like the melody very much. the chorus even getting the song better.
7. dead gardens- 5/5- great song.
8. romanticide- 4/5- just an o.k song.
9. ghost love score- 5++/5- the best on the album, with "the siren". magical and haunting song. 10 minut's paradise.
10. Kuolema Tekke Taiteilijan - 3/5- still dont like it.
11. higher than hope- 5+/5\ wow! great song. the beginning inda slow, but then... wonderful!!
12. white night fantasy- 3/5- bad song. the second bonus better.
13. live to tell the tale- 4.5/5- the better bonus. great.
Brilliant October 10, 2005
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is the only Nightwish album I own at this stage, but based on this one and seeing them live in Melbourne earlier this year I'll definitely be getting more from their back catalogue.
Nightwish combine Rammstein-ish guitar, powerfull drumming, keyboards/piano, orchestral arrangements, growlish & harsh vocals from bass player Marco Hietala, but the angelic sweetness of Tarja Turunens' voice is definitely the crucial ingredient that makes this band and album stand out.
Once is a brilliant album. It combines aggression with subtelty, power with melody, and top notch playing and production. It is now wonder that this album has acheived such high sales figures in Europe, it has an appeal to it for listeners of all kinds of music. The heavy pounding metal is blended masterfully with the operatic voice and orchestral arrangements, and the songs themselves are great. My favorites include "dark chest of wonders", "wish I had an angel", "Nemo", "planet hell", "the siren" the epic "ghost love score" and the beautiful "kuolema tekee taiteilijan" (sung entirely in Finish!). The two bonus tracks "white night fantasy" and "live to tell the tale" are also very good songs which could easily have been included as regular album tracks.
If I have to be critical of this album at all I would say that in the middle there are two tracks that are a bit weaker than the rest, those being "dead gardens" and "romanticide", however they are well placed on the album and some excellent songs follow them to finish the album, so they do not detract from the album as a listen as a whole. However, this is a minor criticism as the album is simply brilliant and I thuroughly recommend it.
I was wondering how Nightwish would sound live and feared that they might be a bit of a let down in the flesh, but this was not the case. They were fantastic! The whole place was rocking and everyone was wanting more. Tarja seemed a bit emotional at the end when the crowd just went off with applause for their show. I hope they tour Australia with their next album, I'll definitely be there.
 This band went downhill. December 2, 2005
5 out of 27 found this review helpful
If you like pop music then you will like where they went with this album. I hate to say I hate the album it makes me sad.
Their levels all wrong. Turning the keyboards down was horrible. Then turning the guitars up and simplifying them. While they were at it they also made the drums dissapear. I dislike Marcos vocals. I hope they go back the direction they came from before this album.
It seems like some big producer walked up to the band made them mainstream their amazing music. I hope this isnt the end of the old nightwish.
Yanni meets Goth January 22, 2006
5 out of 44 found this review helpful
So cool- I never thought Yanni would put out a rock album.
Nothing Short of Amazing!!!! January 28, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I first started to listen to Nightwish about four years ago. A friend who had heard them on the Winamp radio station GothAM turned me on to them. My journey started with Century Child (AWESOME!!!!), and then Oceanborn (also great, pre-Marco album), and then Once. After I bought it, it was nearly all I could listen to for MONTHS. That in itself is unusual, but add to it the fact that the album had the power to drive me to tears, make me break out in goosebumps, and inspire me to write a huge amount of poetry and well...
The album starts with the masterful strings of Emppu's artistry on "Dark Chest of Wonders". The lyrics within this piece, expressed beautifully by Tarja's classical soprano lend it an inexplicable power. The orchestration, arranged by musical genius and composer Tuomas (band's keyboardist) make this piece truly amazing. "The angel learned to fly and took a step outside..." The percussion on this song, when I first heard it, made me step back and rewind the cd. Was that timpani (I know, I spelled it wrong)? Yes, it was. Wow.
On to "Wish I Had an Angel", which in my opinion, is not their best. HOWEVER, Tarja's voice, and Emppu's guitar (he is my hero. *sigh*) make up for that.
"Nemo". Wow. What can I say about this song? Tarja expresses such yearning, and the opening chords of Tuomas's keyboard make it a truly unforgettable song. Every time I hear it, I just want to cry. The lyrics are unforgettable: "...One without a name, without an honest heart as compass...."
"Planet Hell" is a song that I couldn't get out of my head from the first time I heard it. From the opening lines, the choirs, it grabbed me. Then the orchestration comes in, builds to a crescendo, and then...it hit me. BAM!! Emppu, playing sixteenth notes on his guitar, Jukka on drums keeping the beat, Marco's pounding bass. Then Marco begins to sing in his pleasant tenor: "Denying the lying, a million children fighting, for lives in strife, for hope beyond the horizon..." Then Tarja joins in the unforgettable melody, her voice hopeful and yet with a chord of anger: "A dead world...Behold this fair creation of God!" All the while, Emppu continues his relentless mastery, Jukka keeps his assault on the drums, Marco's beat continues to pound to the bone. The song builds and builds, the lyrics covered me in goosebumps constantly, and then the chorus: "Save yourself a penny for the ferryman, save yourself and let them suffer..." Marco sings, accompanied by Tarja and the choir. This song...is amazing. The keyboard solo in the middle, played of course by Tuomas, reminds one of Baroque composer Bach.
Just when you think that the album can't get any more beautiful, the opening lines of "Creek Mary's Blood" begin. This song is the tale of the Cherokees, and their famous Trail of Tears. How Tuomas, a Finnish national, managed to reach into the very heart and soul of this incredible people is at the least, remarkable. Tarja conveys a sadness, a longing, a beauty...unsurpassed on this song. The chanting towards the end is unforgettable.
"The Siren." This song...how can I describe it? It has so many surprising turns in it, including a violin solo, and the gorgeous lyrics: "I hear but how will I see?" Goosebumps, goosebumps!
"Dead Gardens" is unapologetically angry and sad. "The story behind the painting I drew is already told..." Towards the end of the song, Tarja's narrative is unforgettable: "Have I felt enough for one man's deed..." I thought the guitars at the very end were a bit repetitive (I seriously thought something was wrong with my CD!) (it repeats the same melody over and over again for about a minute!)but the rest of the song is fantastic.
"Romanticide". Unbelievable the emotion that comes through in Tarja's voice. The lyrics on this are beautifully done, except one part, "The feel is gone..." Shouldn't they have said "The feeling's gone"? Ah well, their native language is not English. It's forgivable. This song is relentlessly angry, and yet hopeful and full of love and desire. I wouldn't expect any less.
"Ghost Love Score" is quite possibly one of the most lovely songs I've ever heard. The orchestration on it takes my breath away every time, and Tarja's voice is, as always, expressive, resplendent with charm and lust. The lyrics are some of the most gorgeous I've ever heard: "- My fall will be for you, -
My fall will be for you, My love will be in you, If you be the one to cut me, I`ll bleed forever... "...Singing on the shoulders of an angel without care for love n' loss...". The orchestration in the middle is surprising. I found myself (an admitted "band geek") going, "Whoa, listen to that oboe! What a gorgeous flute solo! Was that a baritone? Listen to that clarinet!" This is the longest song on the album (a little over ten minutes), but well worth listening to (repeatedly).
"Kuolema Tekke Taiteilijan" is the one and only song on the album that is fully in their native language Suomi. Don't ask me what the song means, though the title has to do with artists, but Tarja...I don't care what she's singing about, ever, she could make anything beautiful. This song is soft, and it's mostly a song that shows Tarja's considerable artistry. Not one of my favorites on the album, but still worth listening to and marvelling at.
And last (at least on the European version of this album), we come to "Higher than Hope", a song that I believe is about transgression and redemption. There are allusions in it that can only be interpreted as Christian-influenced: "An angel by my side, but no Christ to end this war, to deliver my soul from the sword..." "Within the dark holds hard..." "Higher than hope my cure lies." "Your death saved me." This song is a little soft (compared to others on the album), but the lyrics, instrumentation, and of course Tarja's voice lend it a beauty that is indescribable.
The two bonus tracks that are on the American version, I'm not going to review, although I own both versions of the album. However, I will say this, both songs are gorgeous.
Altogether (if you're still with me on this long review), "Once" is an album WELL WORTH checking out, especially if you love metal, but also enjoy Baroque classical music and opera. These guys have got a BRIGHT future (at least if they either bring Tarja back in the band or find someone as good as or better than her as a replacement!). Four of the five members are under the age of thirty (average age is 27, if I'm not mistaken), but you would never know it from the music they create!
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