Nightwish - 'Decades: An Archive Of Song 1996-2015' Album Review

Tracklist:

Disc 1:

1. The Greatest Show On Earth

2. Élan

3. My Walden

4. Storytime

5. I Want My Tears Back

6. Amaranth

7. The Poet And The Pendulum

8. Nemo

10. Wish I Had An Angel

Disc 2:

1. Ghost Love Score

2. Slaying The Dreamer

3. End Of All Hope

4. 10th Man Down

5. The Kinslayer

6. Dead Boy's Poem

7. Gethsemane

8. Devil & The Deep Dark Ocean

9. Sacrament Of Wilderness

10. Sleeping Sun

11. Elvenpath

12. The Carpenter

13. Nightwish (Demo)

Nightwish are very well known for their epic tracks, haunting music and some of the most powerful vocals within the scene. 'Decades', which was put together personally by Nightwish’s master composer Tuomas Holopainen, showcases some of the band’s best work side by side with each other.

It flows seamlessly backwards with 'The Greatest Show On Earth' from 'Endless Forms Most Beautiful', their most recent release from 2015. A 24-minute epic masterpiece, this provides a perfect opening to what can only be described as a genuine ‘best of’ collection. We then see two more haunting tracks from the above album which shows off Floor Jansen’s suitability for the band to be perfect, and a welcome addition to the talents of the rest of the band.

'Decades' then moves on to the famed ‘Anette-era’ of Nightwish, showcasing some of the best songs of their careers, such as 'Poet and the Pendulum', 'Amaranthe' and 'I Want My Tears Back' amongst others.

The remainder of the tracks feature original vocalist Tarja Turunen, who has arguably the best female voice in Metal. Staples such as 'Nemo', 'Wish I Had An Angel', 'Ghost Love Score' and 'Elvenpath' are among the tracks featuring Tarja and as much as I feel that there should be others included such as 'Planet Hell' or 'Over The Hills And Far Away,' I feel that this is an almost perfect compilation of one of the most talented bands still playing music.

'Decades' is a perfect addition for any Nightwish fan, and a perfect place to start for anyone wanting to discover their music.