Nightwish - Angels Fall First

 Relatively bad, but they improved so much..
Their classic, Oceanborn, comes right after this one. This is just a medicore album. If youre a new fan, stay away! Your money is better spent on the 5 other albums. November 18, 2007

 A Good Debut, But Their Best Comes Later...
I am the proud owner of five Nightwish CDs, all of which I love. I must say however that Angels Fall First is my least favorite of the five. Once, Century Child, Wishmaster, and Oceanborn are all better than Angels Fall First, but I guess that is to be expected; often times bands need to improve upon their first album and refine their sound. Well, Nightwish did just that, and the proof is any of their later releases. Angels Fall First is still essential for the true Nightwish fan though. Get the other four first, and if you still desire more Nightwish, by all means, pick up this title. It's pretty good. March 2, 2007

 A fine debut, but be mindful of your expectations.
With reasonable expectations, a Nightwish fan should thoroughly enjoy a listening of this album. One should expect that on this album, the band does not display the song-crafting prowess that can be heard on later efforts like Century Child and Once. One should also not expect to hear the amazing production quality found on the Once record. Those who complain about these aspects are clearly ignorant about the natural progression of a great band.

A true fan of NW SHOULD own this record, and treasure it as the beginning of the Nightwish journey. To describe the music as a whole, it is mostly very dark and gothic, with tinges of power metal influence. The slower ballad-style songs, such as the title track, are impressive and moving.

The worst song on the record by far is The Carpenter, being drenched with some of the worst male vocals ever recorded (a fact that Tuomas Holopainen, NW composer now admits freely). In spite of these weak moments; however, Angels Fall First is a record worth owning. Fans newer or totally new to Nightwish; however, should start with Once (for symphonic/melodic metal fans) or Wishmaster (for power metal fans). Each of these records is more accessible and gripping than Angels'.

To conclude, if you are building your Nightwish collection, buy this album last, but DO buy it. I do not recommend it as a first exposure to the band. If you're a fan of dark, off-beat, gothic music, make your purchase. February 2, 2007

 A bad start for an otherwise fantastic band
If you want to know what exactly Angels Fall First sounds like, let me offer you the following scenario. Combine Wishmaster and Century Child, strip off the bass and half the keyboards, add in some of Simone Simon's extremely forced vocals from Epica and Tuomas's flat tenor, and throw it all into a car crash. That is what Angels Fall First sounds like. I was very disappointed with this first album, especially considering how incredible their other albums were. The two best songs (meaning four out of five stars) were Elvenpath and Know Why the Nightingale Sings, followed by This Moment Is Eternity and Beauty and the Beast. The rest were frankly hard to listen to. Look to Oceanborn and Once for Nightwish's best performances, because you won't find them here. November 23, 2006

 Power Metal
This is a great cd. Just enough metal and folk to make it a rather perfect cd. Tarja has beautiful vocals, and the mix of keyboard and guitar make it a great listen. BUY IT! October 29, 2006

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