Song of the Week 4

Over the Hills and Far Away- Nightwish - 2000

In 2001 Nightwish released the EP Over the Hills and Far Away, consisting mainly of live tracks from the previous tour, but with a couple new pieces. According to wikipedia, after recording this album, the bassist left the band due to creative differences between himself and the composer/keyboard player. He was replaced by Marco Hielata who also took on the male vocalist role. Marco is still a member of the band.

The song I have chosen from this album is actually a remake of a song from the first album, Angels Fall First, mainly with new lyrics, but also signficantly, having a guest vocalist take the male parts, as Tuomas (the aforementioned keyboardist and composer) never liked how his voice sounded on the first albums.

Every few weeks my favorite Nightwish song changes, but this version of Astral Romance was for a very long time, and still might be, my favorite piece by the band. Well, except for the one from Once, which is probalby my most favoritest song of all time. But we'll get there in a few weeks.

Astral Romance - Over the Hills and Far Away - Nightwish

A nocturnal concerto
Candlelight whispers me where to go
Hymn of gathering stars as my guide
As I wander on this path of the night

Embroidery of the stars
Undress my feelings for this earth
Send me your salva to heal my scars
And let this nakedness me my birth

Macrocosm poured its powers on me
And the hopes of this world I now must leave
The nightwish I sent you centuries ago
Has been heard by those who dwelled in a woe

The distance of our bridal bed
Await for me to be dead
Dust of the galaxies take my hand
Lead me to my beloved's land

"The constant longing for your touch
This bitter ocean of hatred and pain
This loneliness I need to be who I am"

"The oceans are alone as I
Somebody take away this gift of mine
No charisma for the beast! But still I love you forevermore"

"Come to me
Deliver me from you
And from all the days of the Earth"

No last words to say
Only memories remain
A farewell then, my path goes forever on

Song of the Week 3

Wishmaster - Nightwish - 2000

Nightwish's third album, Wishmaster was released in 2000, and is, of course, quite good. It doesn't have quite as many good songs as Oceanborn, but it's definitely a solid album. In fact, it is such a solid album, that I'll bend my one-song-per-cd rule and let you listen to two songs, to show that Nightwish can do meaningful slower songs as well.

Wishmaster - Wishmaster - Nightwish

Master!
Apprentice!
Heartborne, 7th Seeker
Warrior!
Disciple!
In me the Wishmaster

Elbereth
Lorien

A dreamy-eyed child staring into night
On a journey to storyteller`s mind
Whispers a wish speaks with the stars the words are silent in him
Distant sigh from a lonely heart
"I`ll be with you soon, my Shalafi"
Grey Havens my destiny

Master!
Apprentice!
Heartborne, 7th Seeker
Warrior!
Disciple!
In me the Wishmaster

Silvara
Starbreeze

Sla-Mori the one known only by Him
To august realms, the sorcery within
If you hear the call of arcane lore,
Your world shall rest on Earth no more
A maiden elf calling with her cunning song
"Meet me at the Inn of Last Home"
Heartborne will find the way!

Master!
Apprentice!
Heartborne, 7th Seeker
Warrior!
Disciple!
In me the Wishmaster

Wishmaster
Crusade for Your will
A child, dreamfinder
The Apprentice becoming...

Master!
Apprentice!
Heartborne, 7th Seeker
Warrior!
Disciple!
In me the Wishmaster

Dead Boy's Poem - Wishmaster - Nightwish

Born from silence, silence full of it
A perfect concert my best friend
So much to live for, so much to die for
If only my heart had a home

Sing what you can't say
Forget what you can't play
Hasten to drown into beautiful eyes
Walk within my poetry, this dying music
- My loveletter to nobody

Never sigh for better world
It's already composed, played and told
Every thought the music I write
Everything a wish for the night

Wrote for the eclipse, wrote for the virgin
Died for the beauty the one in the garden
Created a kingdom, reached for the wisdom
Failed in becoming a god

Never sigh for better world
It's already composed, played and told
Every thought the music I write
Everything a wish for the night

"If you read this line, remember not the hand that wrote it
Remember only the verse, songmaker's cry, the one without tears
For I've given this its strength and it has become my only strength.
Comforting home, mother's lap, chance for immortality
Where being wanted became a thrill I never knew
The sweet piano writing down my life"

"Teach me passion for I fear it's gone
Show me love, hold the lorn
So much more I wanted to give to the ones who love me
I'm sorry
Time will tell (this bitter farewell)
I live no more to shame nor me nor you

And you... I wish I didn't feel for you anymore..."

A lonely soul... An ocean soul...

Song of the Week 2

Oceanborn - Nightwish - 1998

Nightwish follow up their debut album the next year with Oceanborn. While Angels Fall First is very good, Oceanborn has more songs that I like, so I guess I'd say it's a better album. It was much harder to choose one piece to feature for the album. I highly recommend listening to this album in full, in particular, my favorites are Stargazers, Gethsemane, Devil And the Deep Dark Ocean (with haunting melodies and pipe organ lines that make me thing of Phantom of the Opera), Sacrament of Wilderness (this is one of my ring tones), The Pharaoh Sails to Orion, Sleeping Sun, and A Return to the Sea.

However, for all Nightwish albums going forward I'll be listing all but a song or two as my favorites from the album, so I'd better get used to making myself stick to my one-song-per-album rule now, or I'll end up posting 10 songs an album for most of this feature.

Gethsemane - Oceanborn - Nightwish

Toll no bell for me Father
But let this cup of suffering pass from me
Send me no shepherd to heal my world
But the Angel - the dream foretold
Prayed more than thrice for You to see
The wolf of loneliness in me
...not my own will but Yours be done...

You wake up where's the tomb?
Will Easter come, enter my room?
The Lord weeps with me
But my tears fall for you

Another Beauty
Loved by a Beast
Another tale of infinite dreams
Your eyes they were my paradise
Your smile made my sun rise

Forgive me for I don't know what I gain
Alone in this garden of pain
Enchantment has but one truth:
I weep to have what I fear to lose

You wake up where's the tomb...

"I knew you never before
I see you never more
But the love the pain the hope O beautiful one
Have made you mine 'till all my years are done"

Without you
The poetry within me is dead

Song of the Week 1

Angels Fall First - Nightwish - 1997

Since I've been extra pre-occupied with music lately, I thought it would be fun to try another feature here. I was never able to post a picture every day, but let's see if I can post something at least once a week. Seeing as I have around 360-ish CDs, I thought it would be fun to post one track from each record I have. Let's see how consistent I can be.

To celebrate my new favorite band (along with Depeche Mode), here is Beauty and the Beast from Angels Fall First by Nightwish. Nightwish is a Finnish band, this was their debut album, 1997.

Beauty and the Beast - Angels Fall First - Nightwish

Remember the first dance we shared?
Recall the night you melted my ugliness away?
The night you left with a kiss so kind
Only a scent of beauty left behind

Ah, dear friend I remember the night
The moon and the dreams we shared
Your trembling paw in my hand
Dreaming of that northern land
Touching me with a kiss of a beast

I know my dreams are made of you
Of you and only for you
Your ocean pulls me under
Your voice tears me asunder
Love me before the last petal falls

As a world without a glance
Of the ocean's fair expanse
Such the world would be
If no love did flow in thee
But as my heart is occupied
Your love to me now has to die
Forgive me, I need more than you can offer me

Didn't you read the tale
Where happily ever after was to kiss a frog?
Don't you know this tale
In which all I ever wanted
I'll never have
For who could ever learn to love a beast?

However cold the wind and rain
I'll be there to ease up your pain
However cruel the mirrors of sin
Remember, beauty is found within

Forever shall the wolf in me desire the sheep in you...