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 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 November 1997[a] | |||
| Recorded | April–September 1997 | |||
| Studio | Huvikeskus (Kitee) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:29 | |||
| Language |
| |||
| Label | Spinefarm | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Nightwish studio album chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Angels Fall First | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10[3] |
| Metal Hammer (GER) |   [4] |
Angels Fall First is a power metal album with gothic, folk and classical elements.[2]
Background
editTuomas 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
editAll lyrics are written by Tuomas Holopainen; all music is composed by Nightwish
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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
editAll information from the album booklet.[13]
Nightwish
- Tarja Turunen – vocals
- Tuomas Holopainen – keyboards, male vocals (on track 2, 3, 4 & "Once Upon a Troubadour"), arrangements
- Emppu Vuorinen – guitars, bass
- Jukka Nevalainen – drums, percussion
Additional musician
- Esa Lehtinen – flute
Production
- Tero Kinnunen – engineering, mixing, recording
- Mika Jussila – mastering
- Garry Black – cover photo
- Toni Härkönen – photography
Charts
edit| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] | 31 |
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] | 5 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[15] | Gold | 36,526[15] |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "Angels Fall First". Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Nightwish – Angels Fall First review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Nightwish - Angels fall First". Metal Hammer (in German). April 1998. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "First album out". Nightwish's Official Website. 1 November 1997. Archived from the original on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "Nightwish - Angels Fall First limited 500 copies, Metallica, Exodus, Overkill". Heavy Metal CD.com. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Everley, Dave (8 December 2015). "How Nightwish became a modern metal phenomenon". Metal Hammer. Team Rock. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Tilastot - Nightwish" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "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) - ^ a b Lahtinen, Luxi (November 2002). "Nightwish - Interview With Tuomas Holopainen". Metal-Rules.com. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- ^ (1997). "Angels Fall First liner notes". In Angels Fall First [CD booklet]. Spinefarm.
- ^ a b "Nightwish: Angels Fall First" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ a b "Nightwish" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
Bibliography
edit- Ollila, Mape (2007). Once Upon a Nightwish. Deggael Communications. ISBN 978-952-99749-2-4.