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Oceanborn

Nightwish - Oceanborn
  • Album Info
  • 1998
  • Spinefarm

Oceanborn is the second studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, released in December 1998 in Finland and in the Spring of 1999 worldwide. Oceanborn has sold more than 68,000 copies in Finland. The single “Sleeping Sun” was released in August 1999. This 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.

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. 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. 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.