Dark Passion Play is the sixth studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, released on 26 September, 2007 in Finland, 28 September in Europe and 2 October 2007 in the United States. It was the first Nightwish album with the band's former lead singer, Anette Olzon, and the first album not featuring former vocalist Tarja Turunen, who was fired in 2005. Lead songwriter Tuomas Holopainen has referred to it as the "album that saved his life".
The first single, "Eva", was leaked on the Internet six days before its official release, prompting the band to release the single earlier to boost downloads. Several other versions of the song were posted on YouTube and torrent sites a month later; the entire album with record label voiceovers had been leaked on the Internet by 2 August. The full album (without voiceovers) was leaked on 21 September 2007, as a result of several stores in Mexico selling the retail album much prior to the worldwide release date.
Pre-orders for Dark Passion Play had it certified gold in Finland before it had even been released. During the first week of its release, the album entered the European charts as number one in 6 different countries, selling over 100,000 copies in Finland alone, where was certified with 3 Platinum Discs. In February 2008, the album received its 4th Platinum Disc in Finland, after having sold over 130,000 copies. Worldwide, Dark Passion Play has sold over 2 million copies since its release, being Nightwish's most successful album to date. It has also sold 134,000 copies in the United States.
Read more about Dark Passion Play: Background and Production, Music Description, Reception, Promotion, Track Listing, Personnel
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The captains, merchant bankers, eminent men of letters,
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—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)
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It is of God and passes human wit;
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—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
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—Colette [Sidonie Gabrielle Colette] (1873–1954)