Wishmaster
2000
Spinefarm Records
These Finns took power metal to its natural extreme by putting an actual trained opera singer out front. Tarja Turunen’s majestic voice lends gravitas to songs about heartbreak, role-playing characters, and school shootings in equal measure. Tuomas Holopainen’s compositions keep everything from drowning in its own bombast, focusing on hooks and emotive lyrics. Its beauty has never been matched.
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