Few Nightwish albums carry as much history, change and emotion as “Dark Passion Play”.
Released in September 26th 2007, it was the band first album with Anette Olzon after Tarja Turunen departure and it wasn’t exactly a quiet transition. With a massive orchestral production, more than €1 million spent on the recording and Tuomas Holopainen pouring some of his darkest emotions into the songwriting, Nightwish entered a completely new chapter.
And the songs? That’s where the real debate begins.
The Poet and the Pendulum
A 14-minute symphonic epic and one of the most ambitious pieces in the Nightwish catalog.
The song moves through furious metal, cinematic orchestration and quieter theatrical passages, creating a journey rather than simply a song. Tuomas Holopainen later described writing it as deeply personal and credited the process with helping him through an extremely difficult period.
Amaranth
The massive hit.
“Amaranth” brought a catchy, pop-infused side of Nightwish to the forefront, with Anette vocals helping define the band new direction. Traditionalists may have preferred the older sound, but the hooks here are impossible to ignore.
Bye Bye Beautiful
Catchy, aggressive and definitely not subtle.
“Bye Bye Beautiful” became one of the album most talked-about songs, functioning as a bitter farewell to the band former vocalist, Tarja Turunen.
It’s melodic Nightwish but with plenty of bite.
Master Passion Greed
Want the heavy side?
This is it.
Featuring Marco Hietala on lead vocals “Master Passion Greed” is one of the darkest and most aggressive tracks on the album. Emppu Vuorinen reportedly played the guitars with such intensity during recording that his fingers bled onto the fretboard.
The Islander
Then everything changes.
“The Islander” brings folk textures and a much softer atmosphere, with Marco Hietala playing a major creative role. He wrote almost the entire song, giving it a very different character from the album massive symphonic pieces.
More Dark Passion Play Facts
More than 2,000 singers reportedly auditioned to replace Tarja before Anette Olzon became the new voice of Nightwish. The album was secretly developed under the code name “Project07” to keep the vocalist search away from the media.
The band also recorded a complete orchestral, instrumental version of the album, allowing the London Philharmonic Orchestra and choir arrangements to stand on their own.
And the album made an immediate impact in Finland, reaching Platinum status on its first day after selling more than 42,000 copies in less than 24 hours.
The lineup featured Anette Olzon, Tuomas Holopainen, Marco Hietala, Emppu Vuorinen and Jukka Nevalainen, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Metro Voices adding the enormous cinematic scale. Troy Donockley also contributed uilleann pipes and whistles to “The Islander” and “The Meadows of Heaven”.
So here’s the big question:
Which “Dark Passion Play” track is your favorite?
🤘 Vote for your favorite!
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