Century Child is undoubtedly my favorite Nightwish album to date. Some argue that the singing range for Tarja (lead singer) has diminished since
Wishmaster in 2000, other say Anette (current lead singer for Nightwish as of 2006) does a better job of singing with her new style, but personally I love how Tarja sings in this album. Her voice has a softer edge, and still possesses the same power it did before. This album also marks the debut of Marco Hietala as a band member of Nightwish, male lead vocals and bass guitar player. I also think that in this album, they really nailed the orchestra/heavy metal mix.
Bless the Child starts out with Tarja's operatic, passionate vocals, and leads into a memorable string and guitar duo that sounds enticing. After a short spoken-word intro by Toni Kakko, the song leads into the first verse with Tarja singing to the chorus of metal.
Bless the Child is definitely in my top ten Nightwish songs. It demonstrates the perfect balance in sound between orchestral, vocal, and metal.
End of All Hope embodies the rock side of the band. Quick-paced and dramatic, it also holds a place in my top ten. In
Dead to the World, Marco's vocals along with Tarja's are passionate, and as a duet they sound full and confident.
Ever Dream begins with a beautiful piano intro, which then leads into a dramatic explosion of violin.
Slaying the Dreamer is particularly dark, and one of the heaviest songs Nightwish has ever recorded. Heavy guitars followed by Marco's death chanting make this song one of a kind.
Forever Yours and
Ocean Souls, in my opinion, seem rather out-of-place. They are slower, more mellow songs. Not to say that they lack talent, but I just felt these two songs fell below the standard in making up this collection of epic songs.
Feel for You starts with a calm base guitar intro. I think this song, along with
Dead to the World reveal the best from Marco's voice.
Feel for You also has a particularly awesome ending, as the intensity of Tarja's voice is exposed here.
Phantom of the Opera is an awesome cover. I think it was a great idea to do a cover of this song! Tarja sings her part beautifully, and Marco achieves singing as sinisterly as the phantom himself.
Beauty of the Beast presents an awesome finale that's
well worth listening to; orchestra and metal combination are at there finest here, and it concludes with a stanza spoken by Toni, which wraps the album up from the beginning of
Bless the Child.
I'd rate this album
a 9/10. Definitely worth purchasing! I recommend adopting this
Century Child for a lifetime!
Zoodle and Project Orange are launching a new blog called HeHe Video. The blog is comprised of various YouTube videos, full of hilarity. Each video includes a short, pithy description, and on occasion a bit o' a background on the vid. 
