That isn't to say that Nightwish aren't speedy or heavy when they want to be. Opener Stargazers is a crashing song full of double bass, as is Devil And The Deep Dark Ocean, Sacrement of Wilderness and Moondance (amongst others). But there are also slower more atmospheric songs such as Gethsemane (still quite heavy in the context of the album) or the ballads Swanheart or Sleeping Sun. But even on the faster heavier tracks there is still a sense of atmosphere and beauty.

Even if Nightwish were fronted by a male vocalist doing traditional power metal singing I'd still think that Nightwish possessed a quality of their own. But the fact that they are fronted by a female opera singer completely severs them from being classed as yet another clone. And while I had my doubts at first (Tarja's voice did take some time for me to get used to), I have to say it works. Her vocals add to (if not do much to create) the majestic beauty that this music possesses.

I have to say that while Oceanborn is not perfect (I can't put my finger on it - it just doesn't have that "classic" quality about it), it is still a great album with a lot of originality that other power metal bands lack. If you're new to power metal, then leave it for a while. But if you know you're metal and you have an open mind, you will find a great album.


Eh...   April 24, 2005
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This is the third Nightwish album I bought (the first one was 'Once' and the second one 'Wishmaster'), and this album is okay. It's definitely good in comparison to their next album, Wishmaster. The line-up in Nightwish had been, at the time, Tarja Turunen (vocals), Tuomas Holopainen (keyboards, piano, and synthesizers), Emppu Vuorinen (guitars), Jukka Nevalainen (drums), and bassist Sami Vaska (who was replaced in 2002 by Marco Hietala).

On this album there are not many male vocals at all, which is good, because although I think that Tapio Wilska is okay for the two songs he sang in, I don't think I'd be able to tolerate his voice being used more often.

1. Stargazers-It's a very energetic song, talking about the stars, the moon, and the galaxy. Tarja does a very good job in the chorus.

2. Gethsemane-I think this is the weakest song on the album. It's a song about Jesus and his time spent in the Garden of Gethsemane. There's just something about this song that doesn't hold my attention like other songs on this album do.

3. Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean-This is the first song with Wilska's vocals. I actually really like this song, it's very energetic. The lyrics were also excellent. The only thing that makes me cringe is that part where Tarja is singing 'Leave me be, leave me be, leave me...bee.eeeee', that just sounds rather strange.

4. Sacrament of Wilderness-This is probably one of my favourite songs on the album. There is an awesome opener. I love the continuing theme of snow angels in this.

5. Passion and the Opera- It takes a while to really be able to appreciate this song, but it's good. Awesome cellos.

6. Swanheart-This is the first ballad. The lyrics are really nice, and soft. I think Nightwish has made better ballads but the song is still wonderful.

7. Moondance- This is an instrumental, for the most part. It's very bouncy, and it sounds like it has Russian (musical) influences.

8. The Riddler-I actually like this song quite a bit, it poses some very interesting questions. It's very fast-paced, even though it's very long.

9. The Pharaoh Sails To Orion-This is another song featuring Wilska's voice. I like this song a lot better than the other song he's in. The lyrics are really fascinating, especially if you're into Ancient Egypt.

10. Walking In The Air- This is a cover of the theme from 'The Snowman'. The song really does make you want to walk in the air. It's a soft song.

11. Sleeping Sun-This was written for the solar eclipse that was occurring in Germany. Even if you weren't there to see the eclipse, or if you didn't even know that there was an eclipse, you can still appreciate this song. It's slow, but it holds your attention. It's a great closing song.

All in all, I would reccomend getting this album, there are more good songs than bad, but I would suggest getting one of their other albums first, because if you buy this album first you might not form a very good impression of Nightwish.


Nightwish - almost perfect   August 19, 2002
 5 out of 7 found this review helpful

Of all of Nightwish's albums that I have heard (Angels Fall First and Wishmaster included), Oceanborn was my favorite. Assuming everything not mentioned about the music is perfect, here's what you, as an American listener who is even reading this review, might find wrong with the music.

The largest aspect of the music that tends to alienate American audiences (explaining the fact that Nightwish is virtually unheard of in the US, yet on the top 20 in Germany and other parts of Europe) is the somewhat odd metaphors used in the lyrics. Let's face it, Americans are some of the coolest (and thereby least tolerent of oddities in music) people in the world. Nightwish makes constant references to "less-than-cool" topics not commonly found in popular American music, such as north European mythology, 80's style dream thearterey (a-la Dio), and a lot of kooky stuff I couldn't comprehend. They make constant references to bodies of water, using them as symbols of complex, deep emotions (I think), stuff that isn't typically found in some of our more superficial pop music (oops, I compared stuff again!). And the fact that English is the second language of all of the band members doesn't help.

The melodies are rather original and very, umm, melodic. This music is typically for people who are fans harder, more complex rock'n'roll, and straight-up opera.

The particular highlights from this album are Stargazers (powerful), Gethsemane (brooding), Moondance (Russian), The Riddler (hurt my ears), Walking in the Air (relaxing), and Sleeping Sun (Waling in the Air, part 2).


The best impulse purchase ever...   September 26, 2002
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I bought Nightwish for the gorgeous cover...the woman in white, floating in the sea, with the owl over her, and an eye with the world swirling in its center...there was something about it that looked like there was a real story behind it. And I love stories.

I was a little nervous, popping it in--I had never heard of the band before, and didn't have even the vaguest notion of what sort of music they did. (At that point, I wasn't even really sure if the band was called "Nightwish" or "Oceanborn.") Well, it only took ten seconds to hook me. The sheer energy of Tarja's voice and the instrumental sequences were like nothing I'd ever heard before. "Oceanborn" didn't leave my stereo for about a month.

All of the tracks are flawless, but I would particularly recommend 'Passion and the Opera,' 'Stargazer,' and 'Moondance.' From here, you may want to go on to "Angels Fall First," "Wishmaster," and "Over the Hills and Far Away." Nightwish's latest, "Century Child," is another stunning work, but it is a little removed from what they'd done previously. There's more of a concept to it...although the cover of 'Phantom of the Opera' is incredible.


The Best Nightwish CD.   October 11, 2004
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

"Oceanborn" pretty much is the essential Nightwish CD, and if you want to start to listen to and get into Nightwish's music, this is the CD to start with.

Not a bad song on the whole CD. One of those types of CDs that you could listen to a million times in a row and never get tired of.

You really don't even know that there are other songs on this CD, because you listen to the first 4 or 5 songs so much.

(Yep, I am a die-hard Nightwish fan).


Awesome piano and keyboard playing from Tumoas.

Awesome double bass kick drumming from Jukka.

Awesome guitar playing skills from Emppu.

This was before Marco came in the band, but the bassist before Marco came is really good.

Ms. Tarja, as always, is heavenly and beautiful with the opera-style singing on this CD.


Enya put to Metal music that is SO powerful and driving = Nightwish.


I can't actually say that there is a best song on this CD.

No bad songs to begin with.


European Metal at its best.