It's amazing to me that Nightwish can have been a top-selling band in Finland, charting at number one on both the Finnish single and album charts more than once. That fact alone highlights an enormous cultural difference between that country and my own U.S. of A. Their first #1 hit in Finland achieved that status at the same time that R. Kelly and Celine Dion topped the Billboard Hot 100 here at home. If you listen to the below, you'll probably notice that Nightwish and R. Kelly don't sound too similar.
I'll be the first to admit that Elvenpath, like a lot of Nightwish songs, is kind of cheesy. In fact, I'll even admit that the same could be said for a lot of metal. But to me, that doesn't detract from the musical qualities that make the genre so enjoyable to listen to. In fact, it often brings a smile to my face. For those of you turned off by cheese, you can rest assured that this is about as cheesy as this list will get. But you have to give them credit. I don't think there was much of this blend of symphonic, operatic metal in 1997, when this album came out, and certainly nobody pulled it off as seamlessly as these guys do. I don't think I've heard anyone since then who does either.
Make sure you listen to the spoken intro: Tarja's Finnish accent is clearly discernable and endearing. This song is loaded with J.R.R. Tolkien references, which is another point simultaneously in its favor and to its detriment depending on your perspective.
No comments:
Post a Comment