Nightwish "Oceanborn"

Oceanborn is the second studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, released in December 1998 in Finland and in the spring of 1999 worldwide. Oceanborn has sold more than 68,000 copies in Finland. The single "Sleeping Sun" was released in August 1999, and the song has been included in every re-issue of the album since then. The album was released in the US by Century Media in March 2001.

Speaking to Kerrang! in 2008, band founder Tuomas Holopainen reminisced that the band got really ambitious after the debut album "that was never meant to be released as a proper record. It happened almost by accident, so we decided to put everything into making Oceanborn great." He added:

We were all such amateurs when it came to recording. We didn't really know what we were doing, so we were just experimenting with a lot of different things, we even brought in this string trio who were complete shit, then another violin, then another violin on top. So we ended up with 'Moondance' having 20 tracks of violin, just because we hadn't done this before and didn't know what we were doing! It's a pretty stuffed album, but I also think it's one of our best because you can hear the excitement of trying all these new things. It seems strange that this became a breakthrough album, because back at the time the music was so funny. It was really operatic, and when you look at the pictures, they look pretty horrific.

According to Kerrang!, "for all its Royal Albert Hall grandiosity, Oceanborn was actually recorded in a Finnish school."

This album marked a definitive change in musical scope for Nightwish from their folk-laden roots in Angels Fall First, showcasing a more bombastic, power metal-oriented sound with faster tempos, harmonic guitar/keyboard leads, and plenty of double-bass-heavy drumwork. During that time, Stratovarius was Holopainen's biggest inspiration, hence the power metal sound of the album. Oceanborn's sound hearkens a more dramatic approach in the overall musical scope, mostly relegated to the symphonic keyboard work and lead singer Tarja Turunen's vocals. Most of the album is fantasy-themed, with tracks like "Swanheart" and "Walking in the Air", a cover from the animated TV special The Snowman, as typical examples; however, the song "Gethsemane", has a more religious feel to it. In addition, there are also some theatrical tracks like "Devil & the Deep Dark Ocean". Oceanborn is among their darkest albums, making use of the harsh vocals of Tapio Wilska in the songs "The Pharaoh Sails to Orion" and "Devil & the Deep Dark Ocean".

The first 10 track Finnish edition (catalogue ID: spi67cd) included the lyrics to "Walking in the Air" in the booklet. 
The second Finnish edition, also 10 tracks (catalogue spi67cd), did not include the lyrics to "Walking in the Air", but came with printed track durations on the back cover.

The third Finnish edition, released in 1999, with the catalogue ID spi67sp on the CD, had "Sleeping Sun" as a bonus track and was originally limited to 3000 copies. This version is still so common that more copies were very likely pressed later. 

The 2004 digipak CD re-release by Spinefarm Records has only "Sleeping Sun" (04:04) as bonus track.

The Drakkar pressing of the CD contains only "Sleeping Sun" (04:04) as a bonus track and also comes with different cover art.

Released in Brazil by Rock Brigade Records / Laser Company Records with 'Nightquest' as bonus track (the song title is written 'Night Quest' in the back cover):


'Walking in the Air' is based on a song by Howard Blake written for the animated film "The Snowman".

Recorded at Caverock Studio, August-October 1998.

Mixed and mastered at Finnvox studios.