Nightwish/Awesome Music

What do you get when a songwriter with a taste for the dramatic (and occasionally the nerdy) forms a heavy metal band featuring an incredibly talented opera-trained female vocalist, and then you back them up with a full orchestra? The awesome that is Nightwish.

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• From Angels Fall First:
  • "Beauty And The Beast". (Not to be confused with the song from Wishmaster)
• From Oceanborn:
  • It's all about "Sleeping Sun".
  • The album has the prototype in "The Pharaoh Sails To Orion", which is a good minute longer than any other song on the album.
  • "The Riddler".
  • "Moondance".
  • "Sacrament Of Wilderness". There's a reason it made the band famous in Europe that early on.
  • "Stargazers" launches into an excellent classic album with a glorious riff and just gets better.
  • "Nightquest". You can't make out a word of what Tarja's saying if you don't have the lyrics in front of you, (and it doesn't even leave space for Mondegreen) but it still has an awesome intro that you will do air guitar to.
• From Wishmaster:
  • "Wishmaster". Anything with the same riffs is badass!
  • Also "FantasMic", the first truly epic song at just over 8 minutes and the climax of the album. Best part? It's a tribute to Disney movies.
  • "Come Cover Me".
  • "Bare Grace Misery", anyone?
  • "Crownless".
  • "Deep Silent Complete".
  • "Dead Boy's Poem" is an awesome Tear Jerker.
• From Century Child:
  • The Phantom of the Opera is Awesome Music all on its own. Know what makes it even better? A kick-ass heavy metal cover, is what.
  • "Dead to the World".
  • "Ever Dream".
  • "Bless the Child".
  • "Slaying the Dreamer".
  • "Ocean Soul".
  • "Feel For You".
  • The Grand Finale "Beauty of the Beast", coinciding with their shift into a more operatic style.
  • "End of All Hope". Bonus epic points for the segue from "Bless the Child" to "End of All Hope"
• We may as well call Once an Awesome Album:
  • "Wish I Had An Angel".
  • "Dark Chest of Wonders". If you're ever on a boat, this song will get stuck in your head. Doubly so if you're a fan of Fraxy.
  • "Ghost Love Score" deserves a mention.
    • The End of an Era live video: Over-the-top and dramatic? Perhaps. Awesome? Oh yes.
    • Audiosurf fans, take note: "Ghost Love Score" makes the best Marathon Level, especially for Ninja Mono.
    • The instrumental version is epic as well.
  • Once has "Creek Mary's Blood" as well.
  • No love for "Nemo"?
  • "Planet Hell" was always a very powerful song. Specially this passage:

The first rock/Thrown again!/Welcome to Hell little Saint!/Mother Gaia/In slaughter!/Welcome to paradise, soldier! My First cry/ Neverending/ All life is to fear for Life! You Fool/ You Wanderer/ You challenged the Gods and Lost!

• From Dark Passion Play:
  • "Meadows of Heaven" does, as well.
  • "Bye Bye Beautiful" is an excellent Take That at their former vocalist, whom they kicked out for becoming a vain, selfish bitch.
  • And then there's "Master Passion Greed" which targets the former vocalist's husband and manager for being a greedy asshole. Song also would make for a kickass boss fight theme.
    • And the instrumental version is even better.
  • "Last of the Wilds" is pretty kickass.
    • Even more so when played on Audiosurf - it goes blood-red for a good 1/3 of the song.
    • You think the instrumental is badass? Try it with lyrics.
  • Howl! 7 days to the wolves!
  • "The Islander", anyone?
  • "The Poet and the Pendulum", which is so long that it needs to be chopped up for Youtube. A lot of fans think this is Tuomas' Awesome Song thus far. and it's not a surprise why. This song was even featured in a trailer for Risen!
  • "Amaranth".
  • "Sahara".
  • Dark Passion Play was also released in an instrumental-only version. At times, it's arguably better than the original.
  • "Whoever Brings The Night" was so epic, it got its instrumental version put in as boss battle music for Little Big Planet 2.
• Any song from Imaginaerum could count:
  • "Storytime". Proof that Anette belongs in Nightwish.
  • The already awesome "Ghost River" and "Rest Calm" are taken to another level when the choirs arrive.
  • I want my tears back!
  • "Scaretale". Whoo mama. From the Nightmare Fuel nursery rhyme opening to Annette's witchy vocals on the terrifying verses... Excellence!
  • Even the 30s jazz song "Slow, Love, Slow". Yes, Nightwish does jazz - and it is awesome!
  • Once upon a night, we'll wake to the carnival of life...
  • "Turn Loose the Mermaids".
  • "Song of Myself"
• Other songs:
  • "Wayfarer".
  • Their cover of Gary Moore's "Over the Hills and Far Away" somehow made it more epic.
  • "Tenth Man Down" is incredibly badass.
  • "The Escapist". A nightingale in a golden cage...
  • "While Your Lips Are Still Red" is a gorgeous song.