The third offering from the female fronted Finns. In an overcrowded genre, Nightwish distinguish themselves by not forsaking metallic roots. While 3rd & The Mortal, The Gathering and Theater Of Tragedy all appeal to a larger segment of the metal populous, truthfully, each are more closely aligned, especially after a trio of discs, with other musical offshoots. Tarja Turunen is a gem, capable of hitting the highest registers, as well as the operatic aria, but unlike most contemporary frontwomen, she's more than just a soprano noisemaker, singing lyrics too.The pomp filled opener, 'She Is My Sin' and the staccato guitar atop synthesized orchestral strings on 'The Kinslayer' serve notice Nightwish are metal. 'Come Cover Me" is a grittier, mid-tempo number, but not without a hint of uplifting energy that encompasses each work. Although The Finns sing of depressive themes, there's more than an ounce of hope in their songs. The spirited piano intro of 'Wanderlust' returns proceedings to an upbeat pace, ending in a choir of angels (which is really Turunen multi-tracked). Very liturgical. Flute begins the nearly a cappella 'Two For Tragedy,' a piece yearning to be included on a soundtrack love theme. 'Bare Grace Misery' and 'Crownless' both have a Euro-pop quality, but graduate to power metal once the guitars enter. Acoustic guitar starts the slow ballad, 'Dead Boy's Poem,' complete with child's voice. Rather than sappy, it walks the line of traditional English blues-based odes. The mammoth closer, over eight minutes in length, 'FantasMic,' combines all the elements that came before, including harpsichord and flute. A lavish, full color CD booklet, filled with computer graphics and all the lyrics shows just how important Nightwish are to the tiny Spinefarm label.