Here are some customer reviews of
Oceanborn
: These guys are the best in what they do. Powerfull, melodic heavy metall with outstanding operatic female vocals. I checked mp3s of the band at centurymedia.com and knew right away I had to have their music. Music varies from upbeat with excellent keyboard work, great guitars and drumming to beautiful ballads.
All songs are great. Highly recommend!!! Buy it!!!
MES 2 CD PREFERES DE NIGHTWISH SONT WISHMASTER ET OCEANBORN, MEME SI LES AUTRES SONT EXCELLENTS. OCEANBORN DEBORDE DE PUISSANCE AVEC LA VOIX DE LA TRES JOLIE ET TALENTUEUSE TARJA. J'ADORE LE FAIT QUE NIGHTWISH SOIT CAPABLE DE MELANGER POWER METAL, GOTHIC ET LE STYLE CLASSIQUE. PROBABLEMENT UN DES MEILLEURS GROUPES, AVEC STRATOVARIUS, PROVENANT DE FINLANDE. JE LEUR SOUHAITE UNE LONGUE VIE PLEINE D'ALBUMS D'AUSSI BONNES QUALITE!
I borrowed this CD from a friend of mine at work. I normally don't listen to his type of metal (he's into the hardcore gothic and death stuff). Anyway, he had a note on it labelleing it "Operatic Metal". Decided to take a chance. Boy, was I glad I did - this thing is spectacular! Decided to pick it up immediately! I don't know how to describe it other than some intelligent stuff, well written, catchy, and definitely NOT your standard stuff that falls under the label of "metal". I normally listen to stuff like Black Sabbath (I run black-sabbath.com), and stuff that falls under the category of 70's metal; the only metal to come out of the 80's that I truly liked was Queensryche & Metallica. This is the first new thing in a long time that I've had this kind of positive reaction to! Highly recommended!
A little history here..
Before 2003, I've been a fan of both goth (the 80s' variety) and metal, but I never heard of "goth metal" or anything in the genre until I bought Evanescence's "Fallen" which I listened to quite frequently last year. Having liked that CD, I was thinking that Amy Lee's crew was on to something good, fresh and new. Little did I know at that time that Evanescence was not in the vanguard but just merely America's representative in a vast, but mostly European genre that's been around for years. Kinda like the tip of a very large, but mostly submerged iceberg (at least to American ears).
Then I came here to Amazon in Fall 2003, checked out the "Customers who bought items in your Recent History also bought" links where "Fallen" was and worked my way through Lacuna Coil, the Gathering and some of the others Euro Goth Metal groups and stumbled upon Nightwish and "Oceanborn". I played "Sacrament of Wilderness" first becaue the title sounded interesting and heard some incredibly good guitars and drums backing an operatic female voice. My first reaction was "Huh? what's up with that?" and then after a few more replays and trying some of the other available clips here ("Stargazers" "Gethsemane" and "Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean")..I'm now saying to myself WOW! Then I listen to clips from their other albums and I'm hooked!
"Oceanborn" is actually the third Nightwish album I bought (I later picked up "Over The Hills and Far Away" and "Angels Fall First", and then the American release of "Once". However I think it's their best album and is my favorite. Actually, I now consider it one of my all-time favorite albums. My biggest regret is that I did not get this CD sooner. Every member of this band is incredbily talented, and Tarja..what a voice!!! both straight and operatic (she's mostly opera on this CD). I dread the day when a opera company makes her an offer she can't refuse. My view on the songs:
Stargazers - A great intro/lead-off song...fast, furious and inspiring. You are greeted with the power, glory and awe that is Nightwish. Tarja is at her operatic best here and in other songs (5/5)
Gethsemane - (4.5/5) Great song, especially great chorus.
Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean (4/5) - starts off OK but builds to a good finish..as for the death metal male vocals (DMMVs), I didn't like it first but then I got used to it. It is what it is. It's all in context. Do you really want Tarja to play the "Devil"? On the other hand, if you like your DMMVs five-alarm strong and not for the faint of heart, check out Tristania. The DMMVs in "Devil" are mild in comparison.
Sacrament of Wilderness (5/5)- Fast and march-like..maybe one of my all time favorite songs. For all who have tameless hearts.
Passion and the Opera - (4.5/5) Another great song. I like Tarja's vocals in the middle-end of the song.
Swanheart - (3/5) Least favorite, only because it's slow.
Moondance - (4/5) Like other reviewers say, it's basically a Russian(or Russian-cum-Finnish?)folk-metal instrumental. Catchy and fun to listen to. Reminds me, in parts, of the 1970's NFL Game of The Week highlight music.
The Riddler - (4.5/5)Great, Awesome. You can almost sing along to it, which seldom happens in a Nighwish song.
Pharaoh Sails to Orion - (5/5) DMMVs are kicked up a notch in this one over Devil Deep Dark Ocean. This song has really grown on me and is I think one of the best on the CD, especially from midway ("reveal your face to me") and up to the end. Opera and speed goth metal at its best!
Walking in the Air - (4.5/5) A beautiful, slower song..Tarja is at her best here..starts good and bulds to an uptempo great finish. No wonder it's a favorite among Nightwish fans.
All in all, this is a CD worth every dollar, pound or euro you will spend and this band is truly above and beyond many metal bands today. I've only known Nighwish for a few months and I already consider them to be one of my all-time favorite groups and this one is my favorite Nightwish CD, even better than "Once".
It only takes one word to describe this album....PERFECTION!!
|
