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, All Music Guide
Angels Fall First is the debut album of Finnishsymphonic metal band Nightwish. It was released in 1997 by Spinefarm Records. The limited edition (of which only 500 copies were released), features only seven tracks, two of which are not on the regular edition. Today, Angels Fall First has sold more than 36,000 copies in Finland alone.[4]
Angels Fall First is very different from the later releases. It is much more folk metal and acoustic oriented than it's successors. It's 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 failed to gain national fame until the release of their second studio album, Oceanborn.
The male vocals heard on "Beauty and the Beast", "The Carpenter", "Astral Romance" and "Once Upon a Troubadour" are sung by keyboardist/co-founder Tuomas Holopainen, as well as the whispers in the beginning of the demo version of "Etiäinen". Following this release, Holopainen never sang on an album again, because he thought that he was not good enough. However, he provided some of the background sounds on "Moondance" of the second album Oceanborn and on "Master Passion Greed" of the seventh album Dark Passion Play.
"Elvenpath" features audio clips from the prologue of The Lord of the Rings, directed by Ralph Bakshi. The track on the limited edition is the same track that was on their second demo, which was also titled Angels Fall First. "Erämaajärvi" remained the only Nightwish song in Finnish until "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" (2004) and "Erämaan Viimeinen" (2007). "Etiäinen" has no published lyrics.
The songs from this album are rarely played at concerts with the exception of "Beauty and the Beast" and "Elvenpath". On the band's first DVD and live CD From Wishes to Eternity, Sonata Arctica's singer Tony Kakko sings the male verses of "Beauty and the Beast", because that band performed before Nightwish during that tour. Without a substitute singer Holopainen did sing the parts himself while playing keyboard. In 2001 Kakko was again hired to record a new version of "Astral Romance" with altered lyrics concerning all the male parts for the EP Over the Hills and Far Away.
After the recording for the EP, bass player Sami Vänskä left the band and Holopainen specifically searched for a singing male bassist player for he wished to compose duets again, but refused to sing himself. As seen on the second DVD End of Innocence new found bassist player Marco Hietala sang the male parts of "Beauty and the Beast" from then on. In 2005 (before leaving Nightwish) vocalist Tarja Turunen expressed that she would like to sing some tracks from Angels Fall First again.
Holopainen has also revealed that the band rehearsed "Elvenpath" with the current frontwoman, Anette Olzon, but it "didn't work" well enough to be performed live.
I. ^ Elvenpath uses audio-clips from the prologue of The Lord of the Rings, directed by Ralph Bakshi.
II. ^ The first (and only) single of the album. A music video was made as well.
III. ^ Bonus track only on re-mastered version.
IV. ^ Bonus track only.
V. ^ Once Upon a Troubadour uses an audio-clip from the 1988 film Willow (film) Directed by Ron Howard
