Once (Nightwish album)
| Once | ||||
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| Studio album by Nightwish | ||||
| Released | 7 June 2004 | |||
| Recorded | October 2003–March 2004 | |||
| Studio | Tempputupa Studios, Kitee, Finnvox Studios, Helsinki and E-Major Studios, Kerava, Finland, Phoenix Sound Studios, Wembley, England |
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| Genre | Symphonic metal, power metal | |||
| Length | 60:07 | |||
| Label |
Spinefarm (Finland & Asia) Nuclear Blast (Europe) Roadrunner (North America and Australia) |
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| Producer | Tuomas Holopainen, Tero Kinnunen | |||
| Nightwish chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Once | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| Rock Hard | 9.5/10 |
| Metal Storm |    |
| Sea of Tranquility |
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| Metal.de | |
| PopMatters | |
| Metal Hammer (GER) | |
Once is the fifth studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, released on 7 June 2004 by Spinefarm Records and Nuclear Blast. It is the last album to feature Tarja Turunen on lead vocals. The album cost nearly €250,000 to make, (1,000,000 including the videos) which made it Finland's most expensive recording ever until the release of Nightwish's next album, Dark Passion Play, which cost over €500,000 to produce.
In 2008 Kerrang! interview Tuomas Holopainen remembered: "Doing this kind of really orchestral, symphonic stuff for four albums, you have to be prepared to take the next step and go 10 steps beyond, and that's how we ended up with the London Session Orchestra. At that time we also had the financial resources to do it. This was like our second breakthrough in a way; Oceanborn (1998) broke us, took us to the big league. Musically it was pretty laid-back from our side because everyone involved in the orchestra really knew their stuff, so we basically spent two days lying on the couch hearing all these people playing our songs, enjoying every moment. It was one of the most amazing experiences in my life. The first song they started to play was "Ghost Love Score", we had no idea what to expect, and I just thought: This can't be happening!"
The album continues the more streamlined musical approach first heard on Century Child, moving further away from the power metal-influenced sound of their previous albums into a slightly more mainstream, approachable feel. Once utilizes a full orchestra in nine of the eleven songs on the album; unlike Century Child, Nightwish chose an orchestra outside of Finland, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which has been featured on every album released since.
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Wikipedia