Oceanborn

Oceanborn
Studio album by Nightwish
Released December 7, 1998
Recorded Caverock Studios, Kitee, Finland, August-October 1998
Genre Power metal, symphonic metal
Length 49:06
Label Spinefarm (Finland)
Drakkar (Europe)
Toy's Factory (Japan)
Century Media (North America)
Producer Tuomas Holopainen, Tero Kinnunen
Nightwish chronology
Angels Fall First
(1997)		 Oceanborn
(1998)		 Wishmaster
(2000)
Singles from Oceanborn
  1. "Sacrament of Wilderness"
    Released: 26 November 1998
  2. "Passion and the Opera"
    Released: December 1998 (promo)
  3. "Walking in the Air"
    Released: 1 January 1999
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Metal Storm[2]
Chronicles of Chaos[3]
Metal Hammer (GER)[4]

Oceanborn is the second studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, released in December 1998 in Finland[5] and in the Spring of 1999 worldwide.[6] Oceanborn has sold more than 68,000 copies in Finland.[7] The single "Sleeping Sun" was released in August 1999 and the song has been included in every re-issue of the album since then. The album was released in the US by Century Media in March 2001.[8]

Background

Speaking to Kerrang! in 2008, band founder Tuomas Holopainen reminisced that the band got really ambitious after the debut album "that was never meant to be released as a proper record. It happened almost by accident, so we decided to put everything into making Oceanborn great."[9] He added:

We were all such amateurs when it came to recording. We didn't really know what we were doing, so we were just experimenting with a lot of different things, we even brought in this string trio who were complete shit, then another violin, then another violin on top. So we ended up with 'Moondance' having 20 tracks of violin, just because we hadn't done this before and didn't know what we were doing! It's a pretty stuffed album, but I also think it's one of our best because you can hear the excitement of trying all these new things. It seems strange that this became a breakthrough album, because back at the time the music was so funny. It was really operatic, and when you look at the pictures, they look pretty horrific.[9]

According to Kerrang!, "for all its Royal Albert Hall grandiosity, Oceanborn was actually recorded in a Finnish school."[9]

Style

This album marked a definitive change in musical scope for Nightwish from their folk-laden roots in Angels Fall First, showcasing a more bombastic, power metal-oriented sound with faster tempos, harmonic guitar/keyboard leads, and plenty of double-bass-heavy drumwork. During that time, Stratovarius was Holopainen's biggest inspiration, hence the power metal sound of the album.[10] Oceanborn's sound hearkens a more dramatic approach in the overall musical scope, mostly relegated to the symphonic keyboard work and lead singer Tarja Turunen's vocals. Most of the album is fantasy-themed, with tracks like "Swanheart" and "Walking in the Air", a cover from the animated TV special The Snowman, as typical examples; however, the song "Gethsemane", has a more religious feel to it. In addition, there are also some theatrical tracks like "Devil & the Deep Dark Ocean". Oceanborn is among their darkest albums, making use of the harsh vocals of Tapio Wilska in the songs "The Pharaoh Sails to Orion" and "Devil & the Deep Dark Ocean".

Live performances

Since the album's release, "Sacrament of Wilderness" has remained a fan-favorite at concerts, and it's still performed often. Both "Sleeping Sun" and "Walking in the Air" have also been performed often on shows. "Walking in the Air" returned to the live set list of the band at 19 September 2009 at Hartwall Areena, this time as an acoustic song sung by then-vocalist Anette Olzon.[11] Having been dropped from their live shows, since Turunen's dismissal in 2005, "Stargazers" returned to the live set list on the Endless Forms Most Beautiful tour, with Floor Jansen as their newest singer in 2015.[12]

In recent years, former vocalist Tarja Turunen released covers from two Oceanborn songs: "Stargazers", on a live version (recorded March 27, 2011) that can be heard on the CD/DVD Luna Park Ride; and "Swanheart", also a live recording (April 2013) with Tarja performing accompanied by a symphonic orchestra, choir and Mike Terrana on drums, that can be heard on the CD/DVD Beauty and the Beat (Tarja album).

Track listing

All lyrics written by Tuomas Holopainen, except where indicated; all music composed by Tuomas Holopainen, except where indicated. 

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Stargazers"    4:28
2."Gethsemane"    5:22
3."Devil & the Deep Dark Ocean" (feat. Tapio Wilska)  4:46
4."Sacrament of Wilderness"   Holopainen · Emppu Vuorinen4:12
5."Passion and the Opera"    4:50
6."Swanheart"    4:44
7."Moondance" (Instrumental)  3:31
8."The Riddler"    5:16
9."The Pharaoh Sails to Orion" (feat. Tapio Wilska)  6:26
10."Walking in the Air" (Howard Blake cover)Howard BlakeBlake5:31

Personnel

Credits for Oceanborn adapted from liner notes.

Nightwish
Production
  • Tero Kinnunen - sound engineer
  • Mikko Karmila - mixing at Finnvox Studios
  • Mika Jussila - mastering at Finnvox Studios
  • Maria Sandell - cover artwork

Guest musicians

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1999 Finnish Albums Chart[13] 5
German Albums Chart[14] 74

Singles

Year Title Chart Position
1998 "Sacrament of Wilderness" Finnish Singles Chart[15] 1
1999 "Walking in the Air" Finnish Singles Chart[16] 1
"Sleeping Sun" Finnish Singles Chart[17] 2
German Singles Chart[18] 34

Certifications

Country Organization Year Sales
Finland IFPI 2001 Platinum (+ 40,000)[19]

References

  1. ↑ Ravelin, Antti J. "Nightwish – Oceanborn review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Nightwish – Oceanborn". Metal Storm. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Rocher, David. "Nightwish – Oceanborn". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  4. ↑ "Nightwish – Oceanborn" (in German). Metal Hammer. March 1999. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  5. ↑ ""Oceanborn" Is Released". Nightwish's Official Website. 7 December 1998. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "Oceanborn releases worldwide". Nightwish's Official Website. 16 February 1999. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "Tilastot - Nightwish" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "Nightwish releases to hit the USA". Nightwish's Official Website. 22 February 2001. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 Ruskell, Nick (16 August 2008). "Treausre Chest. An Ultimate Portrait of a Life in Rock. Tuomas Holopainen.". Kerrang!. 1223. London, UK: Bauer Media Group. p. 54.
  10. ↑ "Tuomas Holopainen Official: The Escapist - Biography". Tuomas-holopainen.com. 12 May 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  11. ↑ http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/nightwish/2009/hartwall-areena-helsinki-finland-3d7890f.html
  12. ↑ http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/nightwish-fan-filmed-video-footage-of-philadelphia-concert/
  13. ↑ "Nightwish - Oceanborn (album)". Finnishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  14. ↑ "Album – Nightwish, Oceanborn". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  15. ↑ "Nightwish – Sacrament of Wilderness (song)". Finnishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  16. ↑ "Nightwish – Walking in the Air (song)". Finnishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  17. ↑ "Nightwish – Walking in the Air (song)". Finnishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  18. ↑ "Single – Nightwish, Sleeping Sun". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  19. ↑ "IFPI Tilastot: Nightwish". Ifpi.fi. Retrieved 3 January 2010. External link in |publisher= (help)
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