Century Child | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 25 May 2002 | |||
Recorded | January–April 2002 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | Symphonic power metal | |||
Length | 50:09 | |||
Label | Spinefarm | |||
Producer |
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Nightwish studio album chronology | ||||
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Singles from Century Child | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Sputnikmusic | [2] |
Sea of Tranquility | [3] |
Metal.de | [4] |
Metal Hammer | [5] |
Century Child is the fourth studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. It was released in 2002 through Spinefarm Records in Finland, Drakkar Entertainment in the rest of Europe, Century Media Records in the US, and Toy's Factory in Japan. It is the first album which features former bassist and male vocalist Marko Hietala. It is also the first Nightwish album to feature an orchestra.
Spinefarm Records released a 2-CD special edition of the album in 2002. It includes liner art with the band members' signatures, and a Video CD containing the music video for their cover of Gary Moore's "Over the Hills and Far Away". In addition, the booklet contains an ID code that allows the owner to download the entire album and three extra tracks from the Internet for a limited time. [6] The bonus tracks are "Nightwish", "The Forever Moments" and "Etiäinen", all from the band's first demo of 1996.
The album was certified double platinum in Finland with more than 60,000 sold copies, [7] the second best selling album of 2002 in Finland. [8] Century Child has sold more than 80,000 copies in Finland alone. [7]
All lyrics are written by Tuomas Holopainen, except where noted; all music is composed by Holopainen, except where noted
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Bless the Child" | 6:12 | ||
2. | "End of All Hope" | 3:54 | ||
3. | "Dead to the World" | 4:19 | ||
4. | "Ever Dream" | 4:43 | ||
5. | "Slaying the Dreamer" |
| 4:31 | |
6. | "Forever Yours" | 3:51 | ||
7. | "Ocean Soul" | 4:14 | ||
8. | "Feel for You" | 3:54 | ||
9. | "The Phantom of the Opera" (Andrew Lloyd Webber cover) | Lloyd Webber | 4:09 | |
10. | "Beauty of the Beast"
|
| 10:22 | |
Total length: | 50:09 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "The Wayfarer" | 3:25 |
Total length: | 53:34 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "Lagoon" | 3:46 |
12. | "The Wayfarer" | 3:24 |
13. | "Bless the Child" (edit) | 4:05 |
14. | "End of All Hope" (live at Summer Breeze Open Air) | 4:17 |
15. | "Dead to the World" (live at Summer Breeze Open Air) | 4:45 |
Total length: | 70:26 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Over the Hills and Far Away" (Gary Moore cover; music video) | Moore | 3:51 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "Nightwish" (demo) | 5:49 |
12. | "The Forever Moments" (demo) | 5:36 |
13. | "Etiäinen" (demo) | 2:59 |
Total length: | 64:33 |
Credits for Century Child adapted from liner notes. [9]
Nightwish
Additional musicians
Production
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Year | Title | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | "Ever Dream" | Finnish Singles Chart [19] | 1 |
"Bless the Child" | Finnish Singles Chart [20] | 1 | |
French Singles Chart [21] | 6 | ||
Dutch MegaCharts [22] | 55 | ||
German Singles Chart [23] | 63 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [24] | 2× Platinum | 60,000 [24] |
Germany (BVMI) [25] | Gold | 150,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka Nevalainen, and then bassist Sami Vänskä after the release of their debut album, Angels Fall First (1997). In 2001, Vänskä was replaced by Marko Hietala, who also took over the male vocalist role previously filled by Holopainen or guest singers.
Angels Fall First is the debut studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, originally released by Spinefarm Records on 1 November 1997. The original 500-copy limited edition features seven tracks, two of which are not on the regular edition. This edition is highly sought after by collectors and in 2012 a copy was sold for $1137.23 on eBay. The album was released in the US by Century Media in March 2001.
Oceanborn is the second studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. It was released in Finland by Spinefarm Records on 7 December 1998 and in the spring of 1999 worldwide. It was released by Drakkar Entertainment in the rest of Europe, and by Toy's Factory in Japan. It is their first album with bassist Sami Vänskä.
Wishmaster is the third studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. It was released on 8 May 2000 through Spinefarm Records in Finland. The album was released in the rest of Europe by Drakkar Entertainment on 29 May, and in Japan by Toy's Factory on 19 July. In the US, it was released by Century Media on 6 February 2001.
Over the Hills and Far Away is the first EP by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, released on 25 June 2001 through Spinefarm Records in Finland, and Drakkar Records in the rest of Europe. It was also released by Toy's Factory in Japan and Century Media Records in the US. Bassist Sami Vänskä left the band after its recording, due to musical differences between him and Tuomas Holopainen. He was replaced by the bassist and male vocalist, Marko Hietala.
Once is the fifth studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, released on 7 June 2004 by Spinefarm Records in Finland and Nuclear Blast in the rest of Europe. It is the fifth and last album to feature Tarja Turunen on lead vocals. The album cost nearly €250,000 to make, which made it Finland's most expensive recording ever until the release of Nightwish's next album, Dark Passion Play, which cost over €500,000 to produce. As of 2013, Once had sold 2.3 million copies worldwide, becoming Nightwish's most successful album to date. The remastering of the album was released on 6 August 2021.
Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli, known professionally as Tarja Turunen or simply Tarja, is a Finnish heavy metal singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of Nightwish. She is a soprano with a three-octave vocal range.
Marko Tapani "Marco" Hietala is a Finnish heavy metal vocalist, bassist and songwriter. Internationally, he is best known as the former bassist, male vocalist and secondary composer to Tuomas Holopainen, of the symphonic metal band Nightwish. He is also the vocalist and bassist as well as composer and lyricist for the heavy metal band Tarot.
"Bless the Child" is the seventh single by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, released as the second single from their album Century Child. It is one of two songs which were filmed from the Century Child album, with other one being "End of All Hope". It was also the first song bassist/vocalist Marko Hietala worked on after he joined the band replacing Sami Vänskä.
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The discography of the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish consists of nine studio albums, one extended play, six live albums, seven compilations, eighteen music videos and twenty-two singles. The band was formed in 1996 by songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former vocalist Tarja Turunen; Nightwish's current line-up has six members although Turunen has been replaced by Anette Olzon and later by Floor Jansen, and the original bassist, Sami Vänskä, has been replaced by Marko Hietala, who also took over the male vocalist part.
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The discography of Finnish symphonic metal singer Tarja Turunen, consists of nine studio albums, one compilation album, six extended plays, eight live albums, ten video albums, one box-set, fifty singles and thirty five music videos.
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