Once

Nightwish spent €250,000 recording Once in late 2003 and early 2004, making it the most expensive Finnish album ever produced at the time. The band booked the London Philharmonic Orchestra, hired conductor Pip Williams, and recorded at four different studios across Finland and England. The result was a symphonic metal landmark that sold 2.3 million copies worldwide as of 2013.

The album opens with Dark Chest of Wonders, a galloping anthem that sets the tone for the orchestral bombast to come. Wish I Had an Angel, featuring bassist Marko Hietala on lead vocals, became a club hit and was used in the film Alone in the Dark. Nemo, the lead single, topped charts in Finland and Hungary and stayed on the UK Rock Chart for over a year. Creek Mary's Blood brought in Native American musician John Two-Hawks, whose flute and vocals add a haunting layer to the eight-minute track.

Ghost Love Score, a ten-minute epic, is often cited as the album's centerpiece, blending operatic vocals, heavy riffs, and a full symphony orchestra. The album closes with Higher Than Hope, dedicated to a fan who died of cancer. Once won the Emma Award for Best Metal Album in 2005, and its remastered version was released on 6 August 2021. [edit]