Nightwish - The Poet And The Pendulum

I'm still Nightwish's biggest fan, and Annette Olzon and the gang always find ways of surprising me.  Perhaps, the biggest surprise came from the nearly fourteen-minute-long "The Poet And The Pendulum," from the earlier Dark Passion Play.  I usually wouldn't condone for a band to venture into long epics over ten minutes unless they're Iron Maiden (call it bias, if you must), but this is different.  This is how you do an epic.

"The Poet And The Pendulum" begins with a fitting introduction: a whispery and mysterious operatic section that sets the mood for the remaining twelve minutes.  The orchestra picks up, and you get the feeling that this track could fit right in on the more recent Imaginaerum.  It's a medley of all things dark and wild, Annette's stellar vocals, an orchestra plucked straight from a Tim Burton film, and everything symphonic metal stands for.  I've made it through all fourteen minutes 23 times now, so I think you're capable of doing the same too.  Yes, you!