Angels Fall First

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This article is about a music album. For the video game, see Angels Fall First (video game).

Angels Fall First
A nighttime image with a tree far in the distance and the moon above in the skyline. The sky is a dark black and the image colors fade to a bright red near the tree.
Studio album by
Nightwish
Released1 November 1997 (1997-11-01)[a]
RecordedApril–September 1997
StudioHuvikeskus (Kitee)
Genre
Length51:29
Language
LabelSpinefarm
Producer
Nightwish studio album chronology
Angels Fall First
(1997) 		Oceanborn
(1998)
Singles from Angels Fall First
  1. "The Carpenter"
    Released: 29 September 1997
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[3]
Metal Hammer (GER)[4]

Angels Fall First is the debut studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, originally released by Spinefarm Records on 30 September 1997 as a 500-copy limited edition.[5] This edition is highly sought after by collectors and in 2012 a copy was sold for $1137.23 on eBay.[6] It was subsequently released to the general public on 1 November, with four additional songs. The album was released in the US by Century Media in March 2001.[7]

Angels Fall First is a power metal album with gothic, folk and classical elements.[2]

Background

Tuomas Holopainen wrote the music for the album during his time in the Finnish Army.[8] In a 2008 interview with the British magazine Kerrang!, Tuomas Holopainen remembered:

It came about in August 1996, around a campfire. We were at my summer cabin, a bunch of friends camping out, barbecuing, singing songs, and then it just hit me that I wanted to start a band. But we were too far ambitious at that time for it to remain simply acoustic and making music with just acoustic guitar, keyboards and female voice, was just a bit boring, and we naturally started heading in a heavier direction. The funny thing about Angels Fall First is that it was only supposed to be a demo to send out to record labels. But then Spinefarm heard it and thought it was perfect, so they put it out as it was with no remixing or anything. I used to be a bit embarrassed but now I can feel proud and nostalgic about those songs.[9]

The original pressing featured Holopainen's home contact address, an accident from reprinting the demo sleeve for the album.[9]

As of December 2009, Angels Fall First has sold more than 36,000 copies in Finland alone.[10]

The band, and especially band leader and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen has since frowned upon the album, considering it essentially an extended demo. In a 2011 interview, when asked what album other than Imaginaerum Holopainen wanted to make into a movie, he replied that it would be Angels Fall First, and that it would be "a black-and-white comedy".[11]

The male vocals heard on "Beauty and the Beast", "The Carpenter", "Astral Romance" and "Once Upon a Troubadour" are sung by keyboardist–band leader Tuomas Holopainen, as well as the whispers in the beginning of the demo version of "Etiäinen".[12] Following this release, Holopainen never sang credited on an album again, because he thought that he was not good enough.[12]

Track listing

Main article: List of Angels Fall First editions

All lyrics are written by Tuomas Holopainen; all music is composed by Nightwish.

Angels Fall First track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Elvenpath"4:38
2."Beauty and the Beast"6:22
3."The Carpenter"5:56
4."Astral Romance"5:11
5."Angels Fall First"5:34
6."Tutankhamen"5:30
7."Nymphomaniac Fantasia"4:45
8."Know Why the Nightingale Sings"4:13
9."Lappi (Lapland): I. Erämaajärvi"2:15
10."Lappi (Lapland): II. Witchdrums"1:19
11."Lappi (Lapland): III. This Moment Is Eternity"3:12
12."Lappi (Lapland): IV. Etiäinen"2:34
Total length:51:29
2007 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."A Return to the Sea"5:46
14."Nightwish" (demo)5:49
15."The Forever Moments" (demo)5:36
16."Etiäinen" (demo)2:59
Total length:71:39

Personnel

All information from the album booklet.[13]

Nightwish

Additional musician

  • Esa Lehtinen – flute

Production

  • Tero Kinnunen – engineering, mixing, recording
  • Mika Jussila – mastering
  • Garry Black – cover photo
  • Toni Härkönen – photography

Charts

Chart (1998) Peak
position
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 31
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 5

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[15] Gold 36,526[15]

Notes

  1. ^ Standard edition release date. Limited edition released on 30 September 1997.[1]

References

  1. ^ "Angels Fall First". Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Nightwish – Angels Fall First review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  3. ^ Popoff, Martin (1 August 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 313. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
  4. ^ "Nightwish - Angels fall First". Metal Hammer (in German). April 1998. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  5. ^ "First album out". Nightwish's Official Website. 1 November 1997. Archived from the original on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  6. ^ "Nightwish - Angels Fall First limited 500 copies, Metallica, Exodus, Overkill". Heavy Metal CD.com. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Nightwish releases to hit the USA". Nightwish's Official Website. 22 February 2001. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  8. ^ Everley, Dave (8 December 2015). "How Nightwish became a modern metal phenomenon". Metal Hammer. Team Rock. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  9. ^ a b Ruskell, Nick (16 August 2008). "Treasure Chest. An Ultimate Portrait of a Life in Rock. Tuomas Holopainen.". Kerrang!. Vol. 1223. London, UK: Bauer Media Group. p. 54.
  10. ^ "Tilastot - Nightwish" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Chat Transcript: Friday 17th June". Tuomas-Holopainen.com. 17 June 2011. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  12. ^ a b Lahtinen, Luxi (November 2002). "Nightwish - Interview With Tuomas Holopainen". Metal-Rules.com. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  13. ^ (1997). "Angels Fall First liner notes". In Angels Fall First . Spinefarm.
  14. ^ a b "Nightwish: Angels Fall First" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Nightwish" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.

Bibliography