Nightwish headlined Atlanta’s Prog Power fest in 2003 and in the same year finally their latest cd gets a domestic release. Just another one of the great European bands Americans know little about. Carrying on with their style of melodic goth/prog metal, Century Child has added another element expanding their sound. Up till now the major ingredient that separate them from their piers is the female and very operatic vocals making for some dynamic along with the style of music.

Now the addition is a male vocal who only appears on occasion singing lead. Both voices are used to recreate the tragic story of ‘The Phantom of the Opera”, harmonizing making drama along with appropriate haunting piano to complete the tunes tragic feel.

The music has gained more strength now without losing its graceful flow and delivery. “Slaying the Dreamer” is a prime example of this, starting with a great riff followed by a pounding rhythm and sharp guitar leads. The track ends on a darker and more aggressive note with tempo and time changes complete with the male vocals adding to its edge sounding very metal.

I enjoy Tarja’s vocal quality but find her tone maybe repetitive and think the music would really grab the listener and move the band forward if she utilized her range more instead of working within her operatic crooning.