| Once | |||||
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| Studio album by Nightwish | |||||
| Released | June 7, 2004 | ||||
| Recorded | 2003–2004 | ||||
| Genre | Symphonic metal | ||||
| Length | 60:07 | ||||
| Label | Spinefarm Records Nuclear Blast Roadrunner Records |
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| Producer | Tuomas Holopainen, Tero Kinnunen | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Nightwish chronology | |||||
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| Once | |||||
North American album cover
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Once is the fifth studio album by Nightwish, released June 7, 2004 by Nuclear Blast Records. Spinefarm Records also released a platinum edition of this album on November 24, 2004, containing the original tracks in addition to Live to Tell the Tale, White Night Fantasy and the video for Nemo by Antti Jokinen. The North American version of Once contains the video for Wish I Had an Angel instead. During the first week of its release, Once entered the German, Finnish, Norwegian and Greek charts as number one, selling over 80,000 copies in Germany alone. It was also the first Nightwish album to chart in the U.S., reaching #42 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. It was also the band's first album to chart in UK, reaching #102. In May, Nemo was the first single to be released from this album, followed by Wish I Had an Angel in September, Kuolema tekee taiteilijan (only in Finland) in November and The Siren in July 2005. Once is the last of the Nightwish studio albums to feature vocals by Tarja Turunen. The single Nemo topped the charts in Finland and Hungary, and reached the top ten in five additional countries. "Nemo" therefore remains their most successful single release to date. In an interview Tuomas Holopainen (main song writer of the band) said that it is up to the listener to find out the meaning of the title Once. Every name has got a meaning - though, he doesn't feel comfortable talking about it.[1] The cover features the sculpture Angel of Grief by William Wetmore Story. Once utilizes a full orchestra in nine of the eleven songs on the album. Unlike Century Child, Nightwish decided to look for an orchestra outside of Finland this time, choosing the London Session Orchestra, which also features in their sixth studio album, Dark Passion Play. It is also their second album to feature a full-length song in Finnish, "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" (English: "Death Makes an Artist"). Once has sold triple platinum in Finland, platinum in Germany, gold in Sweden and reached #1 in the Greek, Norwegian and Hungarian album charts. The following singles were: "Wish I Had an Angel" (featured on the soundtrack of the Alone in the Dark film), "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" (released only in Finland and Japan) and "The Siren". The Angel of Grief, (the statue on the cover), appears on many other CDs too. (Example, Evanescence's Evanescence EP as well as Origin's back cover and The Tea Party's The Edges of Twilight.).
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Once Upon a Tour
The success of the album allowed them to perform the Once World Tour, which enabled them to play in many countries the band had never visited before. Nightwish performed at the opening ceremony of the 2005 World Championships in Athletics, held in Helsinki,[2] highlighting acclaim the band has recently gained.
Music style
Nightwish's "Nemo" Image:Nightwish - Nemo.ogg
Problems listening to the file? See media help.
Nightwish added a lot of new elements to their music for this album (probably best audible as the Rammstein-like chorus riff and synthesized drum-beat of Wish I Had an Angel, or the long Native American prayer chant on Creek Mary's Blood) without losing their distinctive sound. One of the most important additions is that of a symphonic orchestra, namely, the London Session Orchestra. The song Ghost Love Score is an apt example of the combined work done by the orchestra and Nightwish, which the name hints at.
Track listing
| Title | Writers | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dark Chest of Wonders" | Holopainen | 4:29 |
| 2. | "Wish I Had an Angel" [I] | Holopainen | 4:06 |
| 3. | "Nemo" [II] | Holopainen | 4:36 |
| 4. | "Planet Hell" | Holopainen | 4:39 |
| 5. | "Creek Mary's Blood" (feat. John Two-Hawks) [III] | Holopainen | 8:30 |
| 6. | "The Siren" [IV] | Holopainen & Vuorinen | 4:45 |
| 7. | "Dead Gardens" (feat. Jouni Hynynen) | Holopainen | 4:28 |
| 8. | "Romanticide" | Holopainen & Hietala | 4:58 |
| 9. | "Ghost Love Score" [V] | Holopainen | 10:02 |
| 10. | "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" [VI] | Holopainen | 3:59 |
| 11. | "Higher Than Hope" (feat. Marc Brueland) [VII] | Holopainen & Hietala | 5:35 |
| 12. | "White Night Fantasy (Bonus Track)" [VIII] | Holopainen | 4:05 |
| 13. | "Live to Tell the Tale (Bonus Track)" [IX] | Holopainen | 5:02 |
| 14. | "Where Were You Last Night (Bonus Track)" [X] | Tim Norell, Ola Håkansson and Alexander Bard | 3:52 |
| 15. | "Symphony of Destruction (Megadeth cover live version)" [X] | Dave Mustaine | 4:20 |
Credits
- Tarja Turunen - Vocals
- Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen - Guitar
- Marco Hietala - Bass, Vocals
- Tuomas Holopainen - Keyboards
- Jukka Nevalainen - Drums
Guests:
- John Two-Hawks - Vocals, Native American flute
- Marc Brueland - Vocals
- Jouni Hynynen - Vocals
- London Session Orchestra - Orchestra
Notes
I. ^ The second single.
II. ^ The first single.
III. ^ With John Two-Hawks on vocals and Native American flute.
IV. ^ The fourth single.
V. ^ An epic orchestral piece, dear to Holopainen. On the "Wish I Had an Angel" single, an orchestral version is included.
VI. ^ The third single (only in Finland). Entirely in Finnish, the title means Death Makes an Artist.
VII. ^ With voice recordings by Marc Brueland.
VIII. ^ Bonus on North American/Platinum Finnish version only.
IX. ^ Bonus on North American/Platinum Finnish version only.
X. ^ Bonus on Korean version only.
References
- ^ Nightfall interview with Tuomas Holopainen
- ^ Helsingin Sanomat. Helsinki skies open as World Championships get under way. Retrieved on December 30, 2005.
