Decades
Nightwish · 2018
141 min · 22 tracks · power metal
A sweeping orchestral journey blending symphonic grandeur with powerful metal riffs that evoke both nostalgia and epic storytelling.
Top tracks — play these first
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The Greatest Show on Earth Start here — This nearly 24-minute epic encapsulates the band's theatricality, weaving together grand musical themes with philosophical lyrics about life and nature's cycles.
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Ghost Love Score — A fan favorite, this track combines haunting melodies with powerful orchestration, showcasing the emotional depth that defines Nightwish's sound.
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Amaranth — This track features a blend of catchy choruses and intricate arrangements, representing Nightwish's ability to fuse accessibility with complex musicality.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album effectively revisits Nightwish's legacy with strong arrangements but lacks the cohesion of an original studio album.
What we noticed
- The album features reimagined versions of tracks spanning the band's career, with orchestral arrangements enhancing the original compositions.
- Each track is sequenced to create a narrative flow, starting with more recent songs and gradually moving to earlier material.
- Several tracks include extended instrumental sections that showcase the band's musicianship and the orchestral elements.
- The last three tracks feature a noticeable drop in tempo, providing a reflective conclusion to the compilation.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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8/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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7/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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5/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- dynamic journey with emotional peaks
- reflective moments for deep thinking
- long-form tracks for patient listeners
- epic storytelling across multiple themes
- cathartic crescendos and releases
Maybe skip if you
- prefer short, standalone tracks
- seek immediate gratification
Where this album fits
- In the catalog
- Deep Cut — A compilation album that highlights their career but isn't a primary entry point.
- Themes
- musical evolution· nostalgic reflection
- Career context
- Released on March 9, 2018, 'Decades' is Nightwish's first compilation album, marking a retrospective of their career as they celebrated two decades since their formation. This album compiles the band's most iconic tracks with reimagined arrangements, serving as a bridge between their early sound and more recent explorations.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Within Temptation· Epica· Therion
Moments worth listening for
Where the writing does something specific.
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The Poet and the Pendulum
The narrative shifts from a reflective tone to an urgent plea for understanding amidst chaos.
This shift enhances the emotional stakes of the song, illustrating the internal struggle between despair and hope as the music swells dramatically.
Tracklist
Disc 1
- 1 The Greatest Show on Earth Start here 23:59
- 2 Élan 4:47
- 3 My Walden 4:42
- 4 Storytime 5:31
- 5 I Want My Tears Back 5:11
- 6 Amaranth 3:58
- 7 The Poet and the Pendulum 13:54
- 8 Nemo 4:36
- 9 Wish I Had an Angel 4:03
Disc 2
- 1 Ghost Love Score 10:02
- 2 Slaying the Dreamer 4:35
- 3 End of All Hope 4:23
- 4 10th Man Down 5:29
- 5 The Kinslayer 4:10
- 6 Dead Boy’s Poem 6:53
- 7 Gethsemane 5:22
- 8 Devil & the Deep Dark Ocean 4:46
- 9 Sacrament of Wilderness 4:15
- 10 Sleeping Sun 4:33
- 11 Elvenpath 4:42
- 12 The Carpenter 6:00
- 13 Nightwish (demo) 5:49
If this landed
Records by other artists that run on the same instinct.
Hydra
Within Temptation
Explores similar themes of evolution and introspection with rich orchestration and powerful vocals.
The Quantum Enigma
Epica
Combines symphonic elements and lyrical depth, reflecting on personal and philosophical themes.
Moonbathers
Delain
Shares a blend of melodic metal and lush arrangements, focusing on emotional narratives and nostalgia.
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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