Nightwish's Single Enters Charts At 51

The Siren", the third single from NIGHTWISH's platinum album (in Finland) "Once", has entered the German Media Control single chart at position No. 51. The single also debuted on the Swiss national chart at No. 59. "The Siren" was released in Europe on July 25 as a five-track CD (including a cover of MEGADETH's "Symphony of Destruction") with a running time of more than 20 minutes. It was mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland.

In other news, the cover artwork for NIGHTWISH's upcoming CD collection, entitled "Highest Hopes - The Best Of Nightwish", has been posted online at this location. "Highest Hopes - The Best Of Nightwish", will be released on September 28 in two different formats: normal version, and limited edition, featuring a bonus disc containing three video clips filmed at the Mera Luna Festival in Hildesheim, Germany in 2003: "She Is My Sin", "Dead to the World" and "Kinslayer".

As previously reported, NIGHTWISH will perform during the opening ceremony for the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) World Championships in Athletics on August 6 at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland. The Championships, which are scheduled to take place between August 6 and August 14, are expected to be televised in 180 countries, including the PAX national television network and Comcast Regional Sports Network (RSN) in the U.S.

All 11,000 tickets for NIGHTWISH's special October 21, 2005 concert at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki were sold out in less than an hour after they went on sale last month.

The Hartwall Arena show will be NIGHTWISH's last before they take a lengthy break, estimated to last for at least 18 months, during which they will compose and record the follow-up to their highly successful "Once" album.