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Review:
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This is the most eagerly awaited release of the year,
and with most of the big boys dormant, the door is wide
open for our favourite opera diva to stride forth upon the
World’s stage. We all know Tarja, so without further ado,
let’s get that platter spinning and see what lies beneath.
We start with a most unusual choice of opener, the Diablo
Swing Orchestra craziness of ‘Anteroom of Death’ featuring
a vocal extravaganza by the German a cappella metal band
Van Canto. ‘Until My Last Breath’ is a rocker that proves
beyond all reasonable doubt that the metal is back, followed
by the big symphonic metal ballad, ‘I Feel Immortal’. ‘In
For the Kill’ starts appropriately enough with the menacing
strains of the Jaws theme before turning into a metal monster;
it should be the title of the next Bond movie. The power
ballad ‘Underneath’ takes it down a touch, then the mega
melodic metal track, ‘Little Lies’. ‘Rivers of Lust’ is
one of those ethereal ballads she does so well, and perhaps
the track that is closest to My Winter Storm in style. We
are back to metal, with a capital M, for ‘Dark Star’, with
a touch of the Turkish and guest vocals by Phil Labonte
(All That Remains), there are even some growls, yes, this
really is Tarja! There’s no let up as we head into ‘Falling
Awake’ with Joe Satriani setting fire to his fretboard.
The gentler ‘The Archive of Lost Dreams’ features Tarja
tickling the ivories, before the massive, dramatic symphonic
metal closer ‘Crimson Deep’. The Deluxe version features
a bonus CD with a further 3 cuts, including the Whitesnake
chestnut ‘Still of the Night’. It is remarkable that an
album that uses so many different co-writers, musicians
and producers sounds so coherent, thanks to Tarja’s stamp
of quality and distinctive sound. Winter Storm saw Tarja
tentatively forging a new identity, but she appeared fearful
of her metal past, perhaps worried about comparisons with
that other bunch. This album sees the fulfilment of her
quest, with her fully, proudly and confidently embracing
the fact that she is a symphonic metal singer, albeit with
many other sides to her music and her own unique gothic
rather than power metal style. In a nutshell, this is an
indispensable must buy, 9.5 out of 10.
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