Pre-orders for Dark Passion Play had it certified gold in Finland before it had even been released. The album debuted at number one in 6 European countries, selling over 100,000 copies in Finland (triple platinum) alone. In February 2008, the album was certified quadruple-platinum in Finland, after having sold over 120,000 copies, which makes it one of the 40 best-selling albums of all time in the country. It has also sold 134,000 copies in the United States. Worldwide, Dark Passion Play has sold over 2 million copies since its release, being Nightwish's most successful album to date.

One of the most infamous symphonic rock bands in the world is back- and they’re back with some new talent. With the lovely Floor Jansen (After Forever – ReVamp) taking the official role of lead vocalist, the female-fronted band is ready to take this new musical era by storm. Throughout the years, Nightwish has changed their singing talents, and as such, the music found ways to transform to accompany the new voices. However, the innate, epic, almost cinematic ‘Nightwish’ quality sound continues to seep into every song that they do, and is instantaneously recognize by fans alike.

Альбом интересен сочетанием тяжёлых риффов, характерных для хэви-метала, и оперного вокала Тарьи. От последующих альбомов группы дебютный альбом отличается заметным влиянием дум-метала.