Tarja Turunen made a name for herself as the singer of Finnish metal outfit Nightwish. Her operatic vocals sure made a lasting impression on me, and I always liked the way her vocals added to the often very orchestral metal music of the band. Yet a couple of years ago there was a massively publicised fall out and both parties went separate ways. And instead of losing as a fan, I think we all only gained as both went on and kept releasing music.
A new album by this wonderful singer is always a pleasure, and certainly when the guitars rock hard! And when the songs are full of the dynamics and light and dark her previous employer is famous for, my day is made. Sure many other fans of Nightwish 1.0 will be very pleased with the way this album has turned out. Opener Victims Of Ritual shows Tarja in all her capabilities. Whether in relative normal singing voice, or with her high pitched opera impersonations. This rocks, has a great chorus and is just plain good. And this treat repeats itself many times throughout the album. But to contradict my previous point, that is actually not saying Tarja is trying to copy her past. To me it more feels like she has been building on that past, but has added a lot of her own personality to it, making it her own. Which is a good thing in my book. A damn fine and very entertaining album that comes heartily recommended.