Nightwish - Wishmaster (2000)

Nightwish's third album is a bit more straightforward than the previous OCEANBORN, and maybe that's why I prefer it. Or maybe it's because it has the song "Wishmaster". As I said in my review of ANGELS FALL FIRST, "Wishmaster" was one of the songs that got me into power metal in the first place, and it remains a truly wonderful, mighty piece. Almost as good is the similar "The Kinslayer", although the pleasure is a bit offset by the topic being that of the Columbine shooting (and, it must be said, the lyrics are quite dark in other places as well, like with "Dead Boy's Poem").
But the whole record is an enjoyable experience, with beautiful production and Tarja's voice the icing on the cake.  Other highlights include "Two For Tragedy", "Deep Silent Complete" and the concluding, complex "FantasMic", and it's the whole epic presentation that just wins me over.
I love epic.
I will go back to OCEANBORN at some stage, and I think I will get to like it more as time goes on. This one might continue to grow on me as well, and that's something I'm realising about Nightwish - I'm finding them a bit hard to put my finger on. I like them. But how much?
Mmm... quite a bit so far. :-)

****

Heavenly - Coming From The Sky (2000)

Surprisingly, I think Heavenly is the first French band I've ever listened to. And what a start it is. This is an expert and deft combination of power and progressive metal. After the standard musical prologue (which, even by the year 2000, had become a cliche in the genre), there's the pretty straight forward, but still winning "Carry Your Heart", before the songs get longer and more complex, and we have what is pretty much technical, progressive musical passages encasing engagingly melodious songs, with highlights including "Time Machine", "Our Only Chance" and "My Turn Will Come". The vocals are strong too, with some lovely arrangements. It might be a bit rough around the edges but, overall, Coming From The Sky is an impressive commencement to these French metalheads.

****

Thy Majestie - The Lasting Power (2000)

When I first read about Italian band Thy Majestie, their supposed similarities with Rhapsody ensnared my interest straight away. And this album is one of the few of which I was not able to find on eBay, instead having to search for it on Amazon (which was a pain - I find eBay much easier to use).
This record has all the ingredients - historical battles merging into one story, ominous narration, sound effects and choirs. Only one main ingredient is missing.
Good songs.
Actually, I should go further than that. Yes, the songs are ordinary, with hardly anything in the way of inspiring melodies or interesting construction. But the whole arrangement is slack, almost lazy; it's like viewing a dull fantasy blockbuster, where the action prances around in front of  the viewer, but the viewer sits in his seat feeling quite unamazed and wondering if the whole thing is actually going to come together and get moving into something exhilerating and enjoyable.
There is potential here, certainly, and "Sword Of Justice" is reasonable. But, considering what I was hoping for, The Lasting Power is very disappointing.

**

Axxis - Back To The Kingdom (2000)

Axxis' sixth studio album, and their first in three years, is not one of their better efforts, being a collection of rather bland, almost AOR-styled hard rock. In the middle is where it works best, with the highlight, "White Lights", and the self-defending "Why Not ?!", while the concluding track is a cover of Steam's rousing "Na, Na, Hey, Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye", which I've also heard sung by Bananarama and accapella group The Nylons (I know these two, especially the latter, better than I do the original), and Axxis do it justice.
But Back To The Kingdom is just not a terribly inspiring listen overall, and Bernhard Weiß's nasally vocals still grate on me.

**1/2

Secret Sphere - Mistress Of The Shadowlight (2000)

Italian sextet Secret Sphere play fast power metal with a strong emphasis on progressive elements, which makes it a bit hard to get into initially, but there's a lot to like here. There is a strong symphonic element, thanks to Antonio Agate's deft keyboard and piano work, while Roberto Messina's vocals are first rate. The highlight is "Recall Of The Valkyrie", but there is a lot more to discover over multiple listens on this impressive debut.

***1/2

Kamelot - The Fourth Legacy (2000)

I haven't been overly exciteted by Kamelot thus far, but this album, their fourth, is certainly their best to date.  The songwriting is consistent, although the second half isn't quite as good as the first, with highlights including "The Fourth Legacy", "Silent Goddess" and, most of all, "Nights Of Arabia", and Roy Khan's vocals are excellent throughout.  American power metal bands still don't tend to appeal to me in general, but Kamelot show a lot of promise here.

***1/2

Stratovarius - Infinite (2000)

Alright, it's time for the year 2000 which, despite what a lot of people thought at the time, was the end of the 20th century and NOT the start of the 21st.
I've always thought I should like Stratovarius more than I do, and I wondered if I'd really take to this album of theirs, but now I do believe it is one of their best. It starts with the steady "Hunting High And Low" and fast "Millenium" (everyone was Millenium-mad back then), two solid, without being remarkable, songs, before going into progressive territory with "Mother Gaia", which doesn't really work, or maybe it does? Not sure about that one. But pretty much everything else does work afterwards, with "Infinity" being a much more successful attempt at progressive rock, while the high-flying "Freedom" is another highlight, and "Glory To The World" is good too. The lyrics are full of their rather characteristic think-positively-and-make-the-world-a-better-place topics (lyrically, they're a bit like a power metal Yes), and the music is played with passion, Jorg Michael's drums in particular absolutely ferocious, especially on "Glory To The World."
Maybe I will eventually learn to love Stratovarius, but for now, I'll continue to like, admire and enjoy them.

****