Wikipedia

Angels Fall First

(Redirected from A Return to the Sea)
This article is about a music album. For the video game, see Angels Fall First (video game).

Angels Fall First is the debut studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, originally released by Spinefarm Records on 30 September 1997 as a 500-copy limited edition.[5] This edition is highly sought after by collectors and in 2012 a copy was sold for $1137.23 on eBay.[6] It was subsequently released to the general public on 1 November, with four additional songs. The album was released in the US by Century Media in March 2001.[7]

Angels Fall First
A nighttime image with a tree far in the distance and the moon above in the skyline. The sky is a dark black and the image colors fade to a bright red near the tree.
Studio album by
Nightwish
Released1 November 1997 (1997-11-01)[a]
RecordedApril–September 1997
StudioHuvikeskus (Kitee)
Genre
Length51:29
Language
LabelSpinefarm
Producer
Nightwish studio album chronology
Angels Fall First
(1997) 		Oceanborn
(1998)
Singles from Angels Fall First
  1. "The Carpenter"
    Released: 29 September 1997
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[3]
Metal Hammer (GER)[4]

Angels Fall First is a power metal album with gothic, folk and classical elements.[2]

Background

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Tuomas Holopainen wrote the music for the album during his time in the Finnish Army.[8] In a 2008 interview with the British magazine 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.[9]

The original pressing featured Holopainen's home contact address, an accident from reprinting the demo sleeve for the album.[9]

As of December 2009, Angels Fall First has sold more than 36,000 copies in Finland alone.[10]

The band, and especially band leader and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen has since frowned upon the album, considering it essentially an extended demo. 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".[11]

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".[12] Following this release, Holopainen never sang credited on an album again, because he thought that he was not good enough.[12]

Track listing

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Main article: List of Angels Fall First editions

All lyrics are written by Tuomas Holopainen; all music is composed by Nightwish

Angels Fall First track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Elvenpath"4:38
2."Beauty and the Beast"6:22
3."The Carpenter"5:56
4."Astral Romance"5:11
5."Angels Fall First"5:34
6."Tutankhamen"5:30
7."Nymphomaniac Fantasia"4:45
8."Know Why the Nightingale Sings"4:13
9."Lappi (Lapland): I. Erämaajärvi"2:15
10."Lappi (Lapland): II. Witchdrums"1:19
11."Lappi (Lapland): III. This Moment Is Eternity"3:12
12."Lappi (Lapland): IV. Etiäinen"2:34
Total length:51:29
2007 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."A Return to the Sea"5:46
14."Nightwish" (demo)5:49
15."The Forever Moments" (demo)5:36
16."Etiäinen" (demo)2:59
Total length:71:39

Personnel

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All information from the album booklet.[13]

Nightwish

Additional musician

  • Esa Lehtinen – flute

Production

  • Tero Kinnunen – engineering, mixing, recording
  • Mika Jussila – mastering
  • Garry Black – cover photo
  • Toni Härkönen – photography

Charts

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Chart (1998) Peak
position
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 31
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 5

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[15] Gold 36,526[15]

Notes

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  1. ^ Standard edition release date. Limited edition released on 30 September 1997.[1]

References

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  1. ^ "Angels Fall First". Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Nightwish – Angels Fall First review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  3. ^ Popoff, Martin (1 August 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 313. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
  4. ^ "Nightwish - Angels fall First". Metal Hammer (in German). April 1998. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  5. ^ "First album out". Nightwish's Official Website. 1 November 1997. Archived from the original on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  6. ^ "Nightwish - Angels Fall First limited 500 copies, Metallica, Exodus, Overkill". Heavy Metal CD.com. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Nightwish releases to hit the USA". Nightwish's Official Website. 22 February 2001. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  8. ^ Everley, Dave (8 December 2015). "How Nightwish became a modern metal phenomenon". Metal Hammer. Team Rock. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  9. ^ a b Ruskell, Nick (16 August 2008). "Treasure Chest. An Ultimate Portrait of a Life in Rock. Tuomas Holopainen.". Kerrang!. Vol. 1223. London, UK: Bauer Media Group. p. 54.
  10. ^ "Tilastot - Nightwish" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Chat Transcript: Friday 17th June". Tuomas-Holopainen.com. 17 June 2011. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ a b Lahtinen, Luxi (November 2002). "Nightwish - Interview With Tuomas Holopainen". Metal-Rules.com. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  13. ^ (1997). "Angels Fall First liner notes". In Angels Fall First [CD booklet]. Spinefarm.
  14. ^ a b "Nightwish: Angels Fall First" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Nightwish" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.

Bibliography

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