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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everywhere's just a journey away..., October 23, 2005
While writing these words, I've recently learned of Tarja's premature departure from Nightwish. As much as this disheartens me, I truly thank her for the albums she made with the band and I wish her, as well as the remaining members of Nightwish, the best of luck!
Now onto my review...
Over the Hills and Far Away is Nightwish's first and only EP, released in 2001 under the Spinefarm label (and 2005 in the US through Century Media). Comprised of 4 brand-new tracks - a cover, a remake and two original songs written specially for this EP - along with 6 stellar live performances (depending on the version you own), this is a chapter in the Nightwish legacy not to be passed up!
We begin matters with the beautiful rendition of the Gary Moore classic "Over the Hills and Far Away", a song that has been elevated to entirely new proportions, complete with the blaring guitars and soaring operatic vocals we have come to expect from one of the first bands to combine the two. This is probably one of my favorite covers the band has done, head to head with 1998's "Walking in the Air."
Coming next is, one of the greatest Nightwish songs in my opinion, the mesmerizing "10th Man Down", a song written about the gruesome reality of, you guessed it, war. While this song may be depressing, its energetic chorus coupled with vibrant melodic structures easily make it one of the band's top performances.
"Away" falls into the Track 3 slot, and manages to slow things down tremendously, being one of the band's lightest tracks. The chorus to this song is simply unforgettable - I can't see how anyone other than Tarja could pull it off. Definitely not a song to be skipped.
The 2001 remake of "Astral Romance" comes next and, even though I wasn't too hot about the original, is a nice surprise. Taking male vocal duties is none other than Sonata Arctica frontman Tony Kakko - and if you've ever wondered what Nightwish would sound like with DECENT male vocals, listening to this is a must-do. The man really brings out the good in this song - they couldn't have picked someone better.
After this come six live tracks, all taken from From Wishes to Eternity. In order we have - "The Kinslayer", "She Is My Sin", "Sacrament of Wilderness", "Walking in the Air", "Beauty & the Beast" and the closing "Wishmaster." I won't dwell on these individually, as they are all superb, but "Walking..." and "Beauty..." truly shine through as my favorites, the latter of which also features Mr. Kakko on vocals. Just hearing the crowd cheer before and after each song is enough to send chills down your spine. In all honesty, I truly envy the fortunate people who've had the opportunity to see this stellar band perform live.
Well, writing this review has slightly remedied the sadness I was feeling earlier. I guess just thinking about the good times I've had listening to this incredible band is enough to put a smile on my face.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must have for Nightwish fans, February 6, 2005
Nightwish is my favorite heavy metal band. I have been a fan for almost three years now. Last summer I had the joy of seeing the band in concert on their first US tour. One of the songs they performed during the concert was the Gary Moore song "Over the Hills and Far Away" which is about a man who is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit and yearns to be free with the ones he loves dearly. I just love the infectious melodies. Tarja's vocals sounds amazing. This song alone was the reason why I bought the cd of the same title. The import version I bought includes a bonus track which is a heavy version of "Sleepwalker" from the band's classic "Oceanborn" (which really is their first album, "When Angels Falls" is a demo tape). For a long time "Over the Hills and Far Away" was only available as an import until late last year when it was finally released in the states but without the bonus track. Most of the songs on this album are live tracks but the first four songs are all studio tracks. The first three are previously unreleased songs while track #4 "Astral Romance" was remade by the band in 2001. The production is a lot better on these songs gives the listener a taste of a heavier, more aggressive sound on albums like "Century Child" and "Once" than what was on "Oceanborn" and "Wishmaster".
I love the first four tracks. Besides the title track, "10th Man Down" is my other favorite track. It is a midtempo song with some really great guitar riffs from Emppu. Like I said before, It this album was a precursor to the aggressiveness of "Century Child" and "Once". The guitars are really upfront than on the band's previous albums. "Away" is a gorgeous ballad. I was never really fond of the band's demo tape "When Angels Fall" but one of the few songs on the album I did like was "Astral Romance". I think the 2001 version is even better if that's possible. The credit has to go to better production IMO.
The remaining six tracks are all live tracks. After seeing the band perform live, listening to these live songs brings back memories of their concert. Nothing can compare to seeing the band live but this cd is pretty much the next best thing to seeing them live. "Over the Hills and Far Away" is certainly worth owning for fans of the Finnish metal band.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nightwish - Over the Hills and Far Away, June 29, 2006
As I have said before in my reviews of Nightwish, their music is amongst the most beautiful music that I have ever heard. Tarja has vocals that sound very heavenly. 'Over the Hills and Far Away' is not a full album as it only contains two new songs, a cover, and a remake. But this is a long cd! The band included six live tracks originally found on the DVD, 'From Wishes to Eternity.'
The title track is a cover that Nightwish has brilliantly chosen to perform. It is a very fun song and has some awesome celtic melodies. The chorus is really addicting! The songs '10 Men Down' and 'Away' are wonderfully done and were written specifically for this EP. The remake of 'Astral Romance' is very pleasing to the ear and is one of the best songs on the album. The live songs that are present are good choices. I would have really liked to hear 'Dead Boy's Poem,'or 'Come Cover Me,' but that is just me wanting more on this wonderful cd. Included are many songs from the albums Wishmaster and Oceanborn. After this EP, the band would later write the majestic 'Century Child.'
This is not typically a first choice album to get for a newcomer to Nightwish..as I would recommend Oceanborn, or maybe Century Child...but this is a great one to own in one's collection. The Song 'Over the Hills and Far Away' is almost worth the price alone, but having 10 songs is a real treat. It saddened me to hear about the departure of vocalist Tarja from the band, but she did a phenominal job with all of her hard work on every album. I look forward to hearing new Nightwish material in the very near future!
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