Oceanborn

Oceanborn is the second album of Finnish symphonic/power metal quintet Nightwish, released in December 1998. Oceanborn is among their darker albums, making use of the harsh vocals of Tapio Wilska in songs like "The Pharaoh Sails To Orion" and "Devil & The Deep Dark Ocean".

Most of the album is fantasy-themed with tracks like "Swanheart" and "Walking In The Air" (from the animated motion picture, The Snowman), however other songs such as "Gethsemane" have a more religious feel to them. In addition, there are also some theatrical tracks like "Devil & the Deep Dark Ocean".

Since the album's release, "Sacrament of Wilderness" has remained a fan-favorite at concerts, and it's still performed often. Both "Sleeping Sun" and "Walking in the Air" have also been performed often on shows, but "Walking in the Air" and "Stargazers" have been dropped since vocalist Tarja Turunen's dismissal in 2005. The "hoi'ing" in "Moondance" is sung by Jukka Nevalainen, Tuomas Holopainen and Tapio Wilska, making it the only Nightwish song with vocals by Jukka. Gethsemane is often mistakenly titled "Gothic Sanctuary". Today, Oceanborn has sold more than 68,000 copies in Finland alone.

Track listing

 * 1) Stargazers (4:27)
 * 2) Gethsemane (5:21)
 * 3) Devil & the Deep Dark Ocean (4:46)
 * 4) Sacrament of Wilderness  (4:12)
 * 5) Passion and the Opera (4:58)
 * 6) Swanheart (4:44)
 * 7) Moondance (3:31)
 * 8) The Riddler (5:16)
 * 9) The Pharaoh Sails to Orion (6:27)
 * 10) Walking in the Air (5:28)
 * 11) Sleeping Sun (4:01)