If ever a band were at a crossroads, it is Nightwish as obviously they could go one of two ways with this release, which sees Tarja Turunen replaced by the Swede Anette Olzon. In the past some had been alienated by Turunen’s highly operatic style and I have to report that Olzon is much more conventional in her vocals.  

It is often the way with fans that some try to suggest that bands get worse as they become more successful in the mainstream (I myself believe this to be true of Dragonforce), however, I am of the opinion that Nightwish have, rather like Accrington Stanley improved year-on-year since their inception. I feel that it was only with Century Child that the epic Gothic vision of the keyboard player and band leader Tuomas Holopainen was realised. This was culminated in the truly magnificent Once from 2004. The stakes are high for the band, so how have they fared? Pretty darn well, thanks for asking.  

The Poet and the Pendulum weighs in at over thirteen minutes to get us under way and in many ways links well Once with it’s orchestral parts and guitar parts seemingly lifted straight from the Once sessions (mot that that is actually the case.) Bye Bye Beautiful powers along next with the chorus performed by bassist Marco Hietala. The first physical single Amaranth follows and if it was a stick of rock it would have HIT stamped all the way through it! It encapsulates everything that is good about Nightwish, it’s Gothic, it rocks, the guitars are exemplary and it has a chorus to die for. 

Cadence of her Last Breath continues the high quality and by now it’s a case of Tarja Who? Master Passion Greed is as heavy as anything the band has ever recorded – not surprisingly Hietala takes the lead vocals on this one. The gorgeous download single Eva is next and we’re approximately halfway through. Can the second half live up to first? 

Sahara clocks in at just under six minutes and features another orchestra and kitchen sink production and is followed by the rifftastic Whoever Brings the Night which again gives the impression that the band are in some ways reproducing the sound of Once. For the Heart I Once Had is extremely melodic and features a particularly sweet lead vocal and another immense chorus – not to mention super fretwork from Emppu Vuorinen.  

I have to say that the first time I listened to The Islander I thought it was, well … a bit shite, however, it really grows after a while and offers a laid back counterbalance to the rest of the album. Last of the Wilds is, gulp, an instrumental – it’s also one of the best tracks on the record! It starts off in a kind of Wicker Man (original version) folk type way before becoming a fabulous, rocking effort. 

7 Days to the Wolves reintroduces the vocals of Ms Olzon although Hietala double tracks the chorus before the album is rounded off by Meadows of Heaven, which clocks in at over seven minutes. This is quite a melancholy way to finish the CD and perhaps a more upbeat track could have been selected. 

When it comes down to it though Dark Passion Play is as good as any fan could have hoped and signposts the way to a bright future for a band that many thought were at an end.

Let us know your views on Dark Passion Play

Track Listing

The Poet And The Pendulum
Bye Bye Beautiful
Amaranth
Cadence Of Her Last Breath
Master Passion Greed
Eva
Sahara
Whoever Brings The Night
For The Heart I Once Had
The Islander
Last Of The Wilds
7 Days To The Wolves
Meadows Of Heaven

Line Up

Tuomas Holopainen - Keys
Marco Hietala - Bass
Erno Vuorinen - Guitar
Jukka Nevalainen - Drums
Anette Olzon - Vocals