A pearl in the musical monotony

The last album to fantastic 'Wishmaster' stands by no means this. I would almost say that 'Oceanborn' almost just a tad bit better, although 'Wishmaster' I care about most.
'Oceanborn' is a masterpiece in many ways. You'll immediately notice how much have increased from their debut album 'Angels Fall First' Nightwish. It's almost unbelievable how much complexity is in these songs. So it does not surprise that the track 'Moondance' completely do without singing, without, outdone the other songs, where Tarja can live out her powerful voice wholeheartedly in any way.
'Oceanborn' reconnects many elements from different styles of music: it is softer than most heavy metal albums, but never slips into the pop / rock scene or even the clichéd mainstream. Very special highlights are the two ballad-like pieces 'Walking in the Air' and 'Sleeping Sun'.
As check out tip I recommend 'Stargazers', 'Moondance' and 'Sleeping Sun'.