Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Nightwish - From Wishes to Eternity - Live (2001)
The first 3 Nightwish albums are a trio of symphonic power metal classics that I enjoyed to death over a decade before this review. I still love them, but I don't find them as perfect as I thought they were back in those times when my love for power/symphonic metal was in an all-time high. I decided to revisit many of the tracks from those via their first live album, From Wishes to Eternity. And let me tell you, I was blown away by this incredible release!
The concert was recorded in Tampere on December 29, 2000, just a few days away from the technical start of the new millennium. Being part of the Wishmaster tour, the setlist mostly consisted of songs from that album and a few from their first two. I love the serene voice of Tarja along with the masterful work of the instrumentalists.
"The Kinslayer" is a rifftastic way to start the show. The lyrics are based on the Columbine school shooting. The bridge is interesting as Tarja's singing alternates with spoken vocals by Ike Vil to practically recreate a talk between the killer and the victim. "She is My Sin" opens the original Wishmaster album before the previous track. The drumming is some of the heaviest I've heard in that album. Tarja's magical vocals continue to shine, especially in the chorus. I also love the soloing here. "Deep Silent Complete" is nice and catchy, calming things down while staying heavy. Wonderful atmosphere and vocals! Then we come to the song with the darkest heaviness in this earlier era, "The Pharaoh Sails to Orion". It features the deep growls of Tapio Wilska (Sethian, ex-Finntroll), speedy keys, and Egyptian lyrical themes. That's Oceanborn's epic!
"Come Cover Me" starts off calm and mystical then carries on with the usual heaviness. Tarja's vocals can be d*mn heart-touching in this amazing track. "Wanderlust" is a great song, but not the total best. There's nothing bad or skippable about it, but it's outshined by the other songs. Many parts of that track I still enjoy including the chorus and the keyboard soloing. It segues to the exclusive instrumental medley "Crimson Tide/Deep Blue Sea", taking some melody from the soundtrack of those two films and practically making it their own. Awesome! Then it segues to "Swanheart", a perfect ballad for me (a personal rarity). Such slow beauty after all that heavy might.
And now we get one of the tracks from the debut Angels Fall First, that album's opener "Elvenpath". It is a fast heavy power metal song from their most folk-ish beginning album. It segues to the 3rd part of Wishmaster's epic "FantasMic", and the heaviest part of that epic. I kinda wish they would perform the entire song though. "Dead Boy's Poem" is another ballad, and one you can't criticize easily. There a great chorus and superb soloing, the latter after a spoken bridge by a young boy named Sam Hardwick.
"Sacrament of Wilderness" has greatly heavy riffing, slightly different from the melody you'd expect from this band. The 3-track encore starts with "Walking in the Air", a cover of a song from the animated special The Snowman. Another slow ballad, though it gets heavier as the song progresses. "Beauty and the Beast" has nice vocal variation. The original has keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen singing the male vocals, but here they're done by Tony Kakko of Sonata Arctica. Then at last, we come to the true finale, the title track of Wishmaster. Epic chorus, beastly guitars... This still reigns as one of my favorite Nightwish songs today. I can hear Dragonlance/Lord of the Rings lyrical influences.
The DVD comes with some bonus content. Not just the video recording of the performance, but also some hilarious off-stage footage, two music videos, two separate live videos, a couple interviews, and a 50-photo gallery. However, the music itself is worth the price of admission. If you're into symphonic power metal and/or Nightwish, I would highly recommend this perfect live offering. The best glimpse of their early discography in their best form. Don't miss out!
Favorites (two per album, plus one new track and one half-track): "She is My Sin", "The Pharaoh Sails to Orion", "Crimson Tide/Deep Blue Sea", "Swanheart", "Elvenpath", "FantasMic (Part 3)", "Beauty and the Beast", "Wishmaster"