Angels Fall First
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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Angels Fall First
- Artist: Nightwish
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1997
- Total Time: 51:29
- Type: Lyrics are included with the album
- Genre: Rock
Review
When then tiny independent record label Spinefarm decided to take a chance on a brand new group called Nightwish by releasing a modest 500-unit pressing of their first album, Angels Fall First (originally recorded as a simple demo), little did they know this would quickly evolve into their biggest future cash cow, and one of Finland's most successful bands ever! Believe it: such were the humble origins and expectations for both band and album; despite the already quite advanced songwriting abilities of chief architect, keyboardist, and vocalist Tuomas Holopainen, which adorned melodic power metal with gothic, folk, and classical music elements, then topped them with the budding vocal power of a still baby-faced opera student named Tarja Turunen. Completed by guitarist/bassist Emppu Vuorinen and drummer Jukka Nevalainen, the nascent Nightwish were in fact merely scratching the surface of their commercial potential (and ensuing stardom), at this stage; yet they showed amazing courage and versatility on forceful tracks like "Elvenpath" and "Know Why the Nightingale Sings," the Finnish folk-steeped "The Carpenter," and an early glimpse of their latter-day fascination with musical theater in "Beauty and the Beast." So even though there were still several areas where the precocious bandmembers required additional seasoning (e.g. replacing Holopainen's unsatisfying vocal efforts, leaving folk-metal aspirations for other Finnish bands to exploit, and reigning in occasional lyrical transgressions like those of "Nymphomaniac Fantasia"), Angels Fall First arguably remains the band's most eclectic album (unfocused to its detractors), and, for this very reason, a favorite for many of their fans. And in the greater scheme of things, Nightwish's unexpectedly popular debut easily trumped most of the era's less risk-taking, female-fronted goth-metal bands, and felt like a veritable tornado of fresh air blowing through the Scandinavian extreme metal scene -- hence its success among female consumers. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi| Angels Embrace (1995 Album by Jon Anderson) | |
| Angels Fall First (2005 Album by Sun: Port) |
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Angels Fall First
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Angels Fall First
This article is about a music album. For the video game, see Angels Fall First: Planetstorm.
| Angels Fall First | ||||
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| Studio album by Nightwish | ||||
| Released | 1 November 1997 | |||
| Recorded | April–September, 1997, at Kitee Huvikeskus Studios | |||
| Genre | Symphonic metal, folk metal | |||
| Length | 51:39 | |||
| Label | Spinefarm, Century Media | |||
| Producer | Tuomas Holopainen, Tero Kinnunen | |||
| Nightwish chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Angels Fall First | ||||
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Angels Fall First is the debut album of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. The original limited edition of which only 500 copies were released features seven tracks, two of which are not on the regular edition.[1]
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Contents
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Background
In an 2008 interview with Kerrang! Tuomas Holopainen remembered:
It came about in August 1996, around a campfire. We were at my summer cabin, a bunch of friends camping out, barbecuing, singing songs, and then it just hit me that I wanted to start a band. But we were too far ambitious at that time for it to remain simply acoustic and making music with just acoustic guitar, keyboards and female voice, was just a bit boring, and we naturally started heading in a heavier direction. The funny thing about Angels Fall First is that it was only supposed to be a demo to send out to record labels. But then Spinefarm heard it and thought it was perfect, so they put it out as it was with no remixing or anything. I used to be a bit embarrassed but now I can feel proud and nostalgic about those songs.[2]
The original pressing featured Holopainen's home contact address, an accident from reprinting the demo sleeve for the album.[2]
Musical style
Angels Fall First is very different from the later releases; it is much more folk metal and acoustically oriented than its successors.[3] Its folky sound is also more or less reduced on later albums. Even though the only single, "The Carpenter", reached number three on the Finnish singles chart, Nightwish only gained international fame after the release of their second studio album, Oceanborn, 1998.
History
The male vocals heard on "Beauty and the Beast", "The Carpenter", "Astral Romance" and "Once Upon a Troubadour" are sung by keyboardist–band leader Tuomas Holopainen, as well as the whispers in the beginning of the demo version of "Etiäinen".[4] Following this release, Holopainen never sang credited on an album again, because he thought that he was not good enough.[4] He has however provided the background shouts on "Moondance" on the 1998 album Oceanborn, as well as some background growling on "Master Passion Greed" on the 2007 album Dark Passion Play.
As of December 2009, Angels Fall First has sold more than 36,000 copies in Finland alone.[5]
The songs of the album were played more and more seldom live leading up to the departure of vocalist Tarja Turunen in October 2005, and no songs from the album has been performed with the new vocalist Anette Olzon since. The band, and especially band leader and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen has since frowned upon the album. In a 2011 interview, when asked what album other than Imaginaerum Holopainen wanted to make into a movie, he replied that it would be Angels Fall First, and that it would be "a black-and-white comedy".[6]
Track listing
Main article: List of Angels Fall First editions
All songs written and composed by Tuomas Holopainen.
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Elvenpath" | 4:40 | |
| 2. | "Beauty and the Beast" | 6:27 | |
| 3. | "The Carpenter" | 5:57 | |
| 4. | "Astral Romance" | 5:12 | |
| 5. | "Angels Fall First" | 5:34 | |
| 6. | "Tutankhamen" | 5:31 | |
| 7. | "Nymphomaniac Fantasia" | 4:47 | |
| 8. | "Know Why the Nightingale Sings" | 4:14 | |
| 9. | "Lappi (Lapland)
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9:20 | |
| 10. | "A Return to the Sea" (bonus track) | 5:46 | |
| 11. | "Once Upon a Troubadour" (bonus track) | 5:21 |
Charts performance
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums Chart[8] | 31 |
Sales and certifications
| Country | Certification (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| Finland | Platinum[5] |
Personnel
Main article: List of Nightwish members
Credits for Angels Fall First adapted from liner notes.[7]
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The band
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Main Crew
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Guests
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Touring members
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References
- ^ "First album out". Nightwish's Official Website. 1997-11-01. http://www.nightwish.com/en/news/archive?month=11&year=1997. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
- ^ a b Ruskell, Nick. Kerrang! August 16, 2008, #1223. Treausre Chest. An Ultimate Portrait of a Life in Rock. Tuomas Holopainen. p 54
- ^ "Angels Fall First by Nightwish". Last.fm. http://www.lastfm.com.br/music/Nightwish/Angels+Fall+First. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
- ^ a b "Nightwish: Interview With Tuomas Holopainen". MetalRules.com. http://www.metal-rules.com/interviews/NightwishCenturyChild.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
- ^ a b "IFPI Tilastot: Nightwish". Ifpi.fi. http://www.ifpi.fi/tilastot/artistit/nightwish. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
- ^ "Chat Transcript: Friday 17th June". Tuomas-Holopainen.com. 2011-06-17. http://www.tuomas-holopainen.com/index.php/en/interviews/85-chat-transcript-friday-17th-june. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
- ^ a b "The Band – Releases: Angels Fall First (1996)". Nightwish's Official Website. http://www.nightwish.com/en/band/releases/details?id=1. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
- ^ "Nightwish- Angels Fall First (album)". FinnishCharts.com. http://finnishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Nightwish&titel=Angels+Fall+First&cat=a. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
External links
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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums
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(1998 Album by Nightwish)
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Angels Fall First [Bonus Tracks]
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Nightwish
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