Nightwish co-founder and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen picked his choices for favorite and least favorite Nightwish albums in a new interview, ranking his own band's entire discography along the way.

For Nightwish fans, it offers a fascinating insight into the inner world of the Finnish symphonic metal band. And who better to pick than Holopainen? (The Nightwish keyboardist is pictured performing alongside Nightwish singer Floor Jansen above at left.)

"When I founded Nightwish in July 1996, I just wanted to do moody acoustic music," Holopainen tells Metal Hammer while rating the Nightwish albums.

READ MORE: Nightwish Singer Floor Jansen Announces Her Very First Solo Album

"Since me and [guitarist] Emppu [Vuorinen] had a strong metal background, it was a natural transition to do something heavier, but that original acoustic band idea can be heard strongly," he continues.

His Favorite Nightwish Album

Holopainen's No. 1 pick is the band's latest, Nightwish's ninth LP, Human. :II: Nature (2020).

"Human. :II: Nature was first to have songs about humankind, and then you play the other CD and relax and go into nature," Holopainen says. "My memories of making the album are of happy times."

Least Favorite Nightwish Album

While it "went to No.1 in Finland," Holopainen says of 2000's Wishmaster, he ranks it his least on his list.

He says, "To me, Wishmaster is one of those albums that was kind of 'in-between.' It doesn't stand out to me on a personal level. There was nothing revolutionary about it after [1998's] Oceanborn."

Nightwish Continue Forth

Nightwish are still going strong after starting all the way back in 1997 with their full-length debut, Angels Fall First. Where do you rank all the Nightwish albums? Does your ranking match Holopainen's?

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See Holopainen's full ranking below.

Nightwish Keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen Ranks the Band's Discography

Co-founding Nightwish keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen ranked all of the band's albums in a March 2023 interview. Keep reading to see his ranking.

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