(Nuclear Blast)
Rating: 8.0
You’ve got to give the Nightwish guys credit for not going with a Tarja Turunen clone when choosing a new singer. Sure, new voice Anette Olzon sounds a bit too much like Within Temptation’s Sharon den Adel to raise the eyebrows significantly, but against all odds Dark Passion Play is still an authentic Nightwish album.
And a convincing one at that, easily kicking the stuffing out of the highly overrated gazillion selling Once record. Vocally the bombast is gone on the female side, replaced by what can only defined as an emotional performance by Olzon, something previous albums lacked.
Bassist/male vocalist Marco Hietala, meanwhile, steals the show every time he opens his mouth, which is nothing new. Musically, this is the record that should have followed Century Child, sharing a soul that is equally as dark and steeped in welcome aggression.
The 14 minute lead off track “The Poet And The Pendulum” is keyboardist/composer Tuomas Holopainen at his arrogant orchestral best, while pop rock single “Amaranth” has that annoying “it” that sticks in the brain, like it or not.
On the all-out heavy side are “Master Passion Greed”, “Sahara”, “7 Days To The Wolves” and “Whoever Brings The Night”, recalling the best moments from the Wishmaster and Century Child albums. Of particular note is “Bye Bye Beautiful”, not only because of its farewell message to Turunen, but because it sounds like a bookend to “Wish I Had An Angel”.
Whether the long-term fans are willing to buy into this new Nightwish remains to be seen, but the simple truth is the essence of the “old” band is still alive and well regardless of who’s standing behind the microphone.
Source: bravewords.com
