Albums Ranked: Nightwish

Nightwish are easily the most popular symphonic metal band. They have plenty of non metalhead fans along with their metal fans. They may not be the first symphonic band, but they are arguably the most important given how many bands have emulated their format since they began. Nightwish is a band that has now had three singers. Some people only love the albums with one or another but I am one that thinks they all have their moments and wont hold any album above another for vocals alone.

How this works; Songs are rated on a 5 star rating with each star having a value that is averaged together for the album rating.  Average album rating will equal the band’s rating

1 star=0, I hate it!  The world would be better off without this.

2 stars=25,  I don’t like it but it could be worse

3 stars= 50, decent song but not special

4 stars=75, good song but is missing something that might make it amazing

5 stars=100,  Amazing!

Live albums, demos, cover albums and EP’s are not included.

Note: Popular doesn’t mean great and importance doesn’t mean it’s good either.  A chart topping song only means it is watered down enough for a mainstream audience.

#10

Angels Fall First - 72.9%

The first Nightwish album ranks the lowest on the list, but isn’t a bad album. At this time they were still finding their sound. The keyboards are much more synth sounding on this album than sounding more like actually symphonic instruments and it might be more accurate to call this Synthonic Metal instead of Symphonic. Out of all their albums this is also the most gothic sounding.

The Good - If you are more into a gothic sound then you will probably like this one

The Bad - This album suffers from sounding weak both from a production stand point as well as the keyboards sounding so synthy.

#9

Yesterwynde - 75%

Nightwish has been in a bit of a decline as of recent with this album marking the second in a downward trend. According to fans of this album you just lack sophistication if you don’t appreciate it, but according to me this album lacks any of the greatness Nightwish has shown in the past. There are times on the album where some of Nightwish’s past greatness shines through, but those brief moments are drown out by it’s overall mediocrity. This is probably compounded by the fact Marko is no longer in the band. Several times throughout the album I was thinking Marko’s vocals at certain times would have been an improvement and probably raised the ratings of many of these songs.

The Good - “The Weave” was the only 5 star track I gave on this album. It is driven by a awesome rhythm through out the song even if it doesn’t offer much more. “Perfume of the Timeless” is a 4 star which should have been a 5, however the best parts sounded very reminiscent of better Nightwish songs which just reminded me of better days. “Sway” (also 4 stars) is very good during the folky parts, but the symphonic parts ruined what otherwise would have been a 5 star song. It was great song with a not so great symphonic part shoved in the middle.

The Bad - “The Day Of” is the first time I’ve given a 2 star rating to any Nightwish song. I don’t like it it starts off like it might go somewhere cool and instead it breaks the flow and throws in a kid’s choir which I almost never like. This song is also lacking metal and I’d classify it as Symphonic Rock which continues the trend of Nightwish focusing more on symphonic elements than the metal ones.

#8

Human. :Ii: Nature. - 80.556%

No longer the most recent Nightwish album, this one certainly isn’t bad but also left me a bit disappointed. Newest vocalist Floor is considered one of the best female singers by many but I feel that her full potential isn’t being used particularly with this album.

The Good - My favorite tracks are “Music”, “How’s the Heart?” and “Noise”.

The Bad - Many of the songs on this album are just less memorable or catchy and although it’s not a bad album, compared to most Nightwish albums this one is mediocre.

#7

Wishmaster - 84.09%

Occasionally you will hear someone say Nightwish is a power metal band, and this album would be the most legitimate case of that. Songs like “Wounderlust” and “Crownless” sound very power metal.

The Good - The more power metal sounding tracks are good as well as the title track “Wishmaster” is a a great song.

The Bad - Overall this album isn’t very memorable and many of the songs are sorta bland.

#6

Oceanborn - 85%

This album is great. It has some fantastic songs that are still some of their most notable ones. This album is still very synth sounding compared to later ones but the production is much improved from the first album. Some of the more power metal sounding stuff is on this album as well.

The Good - “Passion and the Opera” is one of Nightwish’s most iconic songs for good reason; it’s an incredible masterpiece with an outstanding vocal delivery from Tarja. The two opening tracks on this album “Stargazers” and “Gethsemane” are also fantastic.

The Bad - This album has some amazing songs but also has quite a few that are far less memorable.

#5

Endless Forms Most Beautiful - 86.36%

This album was the first with Floor on vocals and she does a fantastic job. She is by far the most metal Nightwish singer, able to yell along with Marco on songs like “Yours is an Empty Hope”. There are even backing death growls in this song which might be the only time this is done in Nightwish. I’m not 100% sure who is doing them. This is followed by “Our Decades in the Sun” which is a much lighter song showing a lighter side of Floor’s voice. Both songs are two of my favorites on this album.

The Good - Floor does a fantastic job and more importantly there are some great songs on this album. “Alpenglow” is one of my favorites and the chorus reprises in “The Greatest Show on Earth” The latter of witch hits me hard every time. It puts the fragility of life in musical form with a cry “We Where Here!” A desperate cry to be remembered in and infinitely vast universe. This is the thing that always sticks with me from this album.

The Bad - This album has some incredible songs but also has a lot of songs that are almost incredible but just don’t have the grandeur that some of the great ones do.

#4

Century Child - 87.5%

This is the first album on the list for me where there is more consistency of amazing songs. Other albums lower on the list have some amazing songs and then a lot of songs that aren’t quite there, but this is the first one where more than half the songs get 5 stars from me.

The Good - “End of All Hope” is one of my favorite Nightwish songs and “Dead to the World” is also incredible with both being two of their most well known songs. The lighter “Ocean Soul” is just beautiful. It would also be impossible for me to talk about this album without mentioning the incredible version of “Phantom of the Opera” Nightwish does for this album.

The Bad - This is the last Nightwish album that has an older production sound. It certainly isn’t bad but sounds less modern to all the albums released after it.

#3 (#3 and #2 technically tie)

Dark Passion Play - 90.38%

This album is the first with Anette on vocals. For many this is a problem but she gives the band an energy that Tarja never did. While here style may not sound as majestic the songs are every bit as masterfully composed. Anette has absolutely beautiful deliveries with songs like “Eva” and “Meadows of Heaven” This album also ventures in to some folk sounds with “The Islander” and “Last of the Wilds”, the latter of which is one of my all time favorite Nightwish songs. If you are thinking I say that a lot it’s because Nightwish has a lot of amazing songs. “The Poet and The Pendulum” and “Meadow’s of Heaven” are some of Tuomas’s most epic arrangements. It also has some more energetic songs like “Bye Bye Beautiful” and “Amaranth”.

The Good - So many things, This album is a masterpiece

The Bad - Nothing unless you are a troglodyte that thinks anything that isn’t done by Tarja is bad.

#2

Imaginaerum - 91.66%

Imaginaerum winds the tie because the two tracks that really pull down the rating are an intro and instrumental track and it doesn’t seem fair for these songs to pull the rating down as much as they do. This is the first and only concept album from Nightwish. It’s and incredible album with a uniqueness that makes it stand out from other Nightwish albums. It has great orchestration as well as catchyness that keeps you coming back to this one. Imaginaerum is an album that really grows on you with very memorable choruses. This album experiments with different thing like the jazzy “Slow, Love, Slow” which is amazing and maybe my favorite vocal performance from Anette and I confess to listening to this one on repeat. This album still brings the folk elements from the previous album with songs like “I want My Tears Back” and “The Crow, the Owl and the Dove”

The Good - This album is maybe the most different sounding Nightwish albums while still sounding like Nightwish.

The Bad - The intro track and instrumental “Arabesqu” pull down the rating of this album but is otherwise a masterpiece.

#1

Once - 93.18%

No other album from Nightwish has as many iconic songs as this one. This album is a true masterpiece. It is the final album with Tarja on vocals and thankfully it is the first album that has a more modern production quality because it certainly deserves it. There are only a couple tracks that are not completely amazing and the ones that are make up for it. When I think of this album I forget why it’s not a 100% because the few tracks that aren’t masterpieces are forgettable.

The Good - This album easily has some of the best Nightwish songs ever written and are impossible to top. “Ghost Love Score” is not just my favorite Nightwish song, but one of my favorite songs by anyone. It would be heresy to not also name “Nemo” but there are so many great songs that I would be naming nearly all of them.

The Bad - There are three tracks I gave 4 stars instead of 5. They are fine songs but not as good as the other ones are, and I wish they weren’t on here so this album could get the 100% because it is worthy.

Bonus Album

All the Works of Nature Which Adorn the World - 75%

This is the first fully orchestral album composed by Tuomas. He is influenced by may film composers and this album has that type of feel similar to that. It has elements that make it sound very Nightwish especially with the way Tuomas has been arranging things on the last couple albums. More than an album you would want to actively listen to, this one is fitting for some background music. It has it’s moments that grab your attention but for the most part it is more atmospheric and feels like it is building to something that never comes.

The Good - It’s great if you are wanting some back ground music or something to relax to with the exception of the last track which has spoken word parts.

The Bad - It doesn’t really have much of a climax and nothing is really that memorable