I don't think it's possible to listen to this album and not have goose bumps crawling all over the flesh. Lately Nightwish has been my music of choice and I can't seem to get enough, the louder the better! Often I find myself craving their mélange of rock, symphonic power metal and opera like vocals - even at work, with headphones on of course, don't want to scare the socks off my coworkers, and I am constantly lost and mesmerized by the harmony of vocals and power that sound like a rock concert in tall halls of Valhalla.The guitars on this album shred the air like hungry sharks and the vocals are haunting. Much to my delight I can certainly see that Tuomas is greatly influenced by movie scores. I adore them too so to me music doesn't get any better than this, and for a kid who grew up watching Conan movies and war epics this music pumps my blood in all the right places.This album is very operatic, but also grandiose and full of metal - and even better, it's from a live concert, so it really sounds real. With the fans clapping and people screaming I feel connected, almost as if I was there myself. The lead singer - Tarja is a brilliant artist, even thought she is no longer with this band - I recommend her solo album "My Winter Storm" for the fans of this genre. Her first single off that CD is coincidentally called "I walk Alone" maybe she misses this kick a@@ band...- Kasia S.