Female Fronted Music

NIGHTWISH could very well have cloned their last full studio album, Wishmaster, and would have been guaranteed to sell as many copies without the fanbase batting an eyelash. Simply put, the band is that good. NIGHTWISH is not stupid, firmly believing in artistic integrity over sales and clearly having the balls to branch out, explore and experiment with their craft. For a start, the level of bombast seems to have been turned down a notch on Century Child in favour of a more metal approach, even singer Tarja toning down her all-out opera vocals somewhat and using her voice with much broader scope.
Ironically, the band has become more operatic at the same time with the addition of bassist Marco Hietala - stolen from Sinergy - who acts as Tarja's male lead vocal counterpart on several tracks, making a huge impact on the band's sound. No question that NIGHTWISH would be just another band without Tarja though, who shines brighter than she ever has before. Century Child is yet another firm step towards greatness. (9 out of 10 review)