Gloomy, outstanding, different type of successor

Three years after the quite controversial nature, in my eyes, however, extremely successful debut album "My Winter Storm" was released with "What lies beneath" the second album of Tarja Turunen. Compared to its predecessor, the new plant significantly rougher and more powerful presented. Goods hard guitar rifts 2007 was exceptional phenomena, they are an essential element here of instrumental refinement.

Already the opener marks the change of style. With hard Rifts, drums and a very energetic voice leads "Anteroom of Death" in the album. An extremely successful title, which relates a significant part of his artistic quality of the interesting contrast between loud and quiet passages, as well as the deviating from the known standard scheme of verse and chorus. Compared to him the following acts "Until My Last Breath" quite conventional. Fast, straightforward and underlain by an instrumentation that skillfully through the combination of electronic sounds and hard metal Rifts brings together softness and roughness. The following "I feel immortal" was through a combination of voice, melody and manufacture the ideal choice for the first single. Interesting here is the stark contrast between the text, the easy points towards optimism, at least, and of him embedding melody that contrast has an extremely moody, which is brought by the complex, as it were powerful as fragile instrumentation to full effect. Result is an excellent, almost epic title that calm had earlier in the charts can be. "In for a kill" takes out the Spherical its predecessor and comes with a realignment of voice and instruments back to the point. Restless, energetic and dramatic. Here is particularly clear how much Mrs Turunen controlled her voice.

What comes next, has burned me at first listen to mind. Are all the tracks before and after him excellent, "Underneath" still reaches out. An incredibly beautiful melody, voice and instruments harmonize in my ears like a near-perfect Trinity and create the most beautiful for me title of the regular album. I do not know why, but I always feel reminiscent of the end credits music of unforgettable sci-fi classic "Alien" that accompanies the expiration of credits against the backdrop of the (possibly) infinite universe. Again, the melody creates a seemingly endless, warm darkness in which Turunen voice and instruments as radiant, but lonely-looking lights exist. Although already excellent in album form, I want to recommend the orchestral version urgently. This seems really perfect to me. By dispensing with guitars and drums, with a subtle but complex accompaniment of strings and a bass guitar, the contrast between voice and instruments to this seemingly endless darkness looks even more impressive.

By contrast, the successor, although also expressive, only lose. "Little Lies" drives the warm, optimistic gloom in dark, driving aggression, which is very well supported by very heavy guitars inserts.

The following "Rivers of Lust" acts like a reduced, altered mood in his version of "Underneath". Reduced to the effect that as voice and instruments to act much more cautiously. Again, we have the contrast of lights and the surrounding darkness. However, here no warmth and optimism, but despondency and depression are summons. Again Mrs Turunen shows her great skill, because even without any instrumental accompaniment, it would be a pleasure to follow this magnificent interplay of hard and soft, high and low tones of voice, everything to dismantle layers and reassemble.

With "Dark Star" the pace is tightened, the strings are replaced with hard guitars and drums. Still dark, very expressive and elegant ...... gruffly. The relation to the previous album considerably grown "Power" of "What Lies Beneath" I bring out some unknown reason always first with this title in connection. "Falling Awake" marked a significant change. The gloomy predecessor differs driving optimism, which acts like a gasp from this previously celebrated valley of darkness, which is well supported by the here very passionate acting singer. Very beautiful. But this rebellion is not of long duration. With "The Archive of Lost Dreams' the driving, upbeat opulence is transferred in a quiet, almost silent, cautious tones. Only in the second half come the hitherto very subtle strings out stronger and the hitherto "dominant" Piano as equals. A very nice melodic as contemplative piece, goodbye as breathing simultaneously. This breath also seem necessary. The Dark-sublime "Crimson Deep" again pulls out all the stops. Dark, rough, opulent, especially but sufficiently long to allow time for the development. A reasonable conclusion.

In its entirety, is "What Lies Beneath" as its predecessor a melodic, perfectly orchestrated and very atmospheric album. Significantly metal-heavy, it could have propitiated many of dissatisfied with the predecessor fans.

The second CD of the Special Edition offers three additional tracks that have been partially published as a B-side of the extracted from the album Singles. Were this not acquired by the handset, the purchase of special edition is strongly advised. "We Are" is a very nice combination of excellent voice work, beautiful melody and sophisticated production. Of its overall quality forth it could be classified readily into the album. "Najad" however, is incredibly similar to how "Underneath". A beautiful melody, this magnificent voice and a peculiar, subtle instrumental accompaniment of strings forms a title that is beyond reproach. Much like "Crimson Deep", the long term of more than seven minutes is the factory enough time to develop its grandeur. Wonderful. "Still Of The Night" in contrast drops significantly. A cover, which indeed appear quite powerful and melodious, but in which Mrs Turunen with her voice seemed a bit out of place. The Nichteinreihung in the album is really very welcome, because this title as a foreign body, would have the same cast a poor relation.

I often wonder whether the style of its predecessor by a sincere desire more Classic was marked bring in the music, or "My Winter Storm" an unfinished search for his own style is. The turning away from Nightwish-bombast was known very differently among fans. If Mrs Turunen has to the present, strongly deviating from his previous album found her style, she should continue on this path. All listeners will not be able to make more right, because many will never overcome the separation from Nightwish, I also regret very among others. However, it would be unfortunate if Mrs. Turunen would leave on their path too much influenced by external expectations and "What Lies Beneath" in spite of his class would be a result of such an approach. Such an artist does usually not too good, the risk of losing oneself in compromises over other is very high. Above all, it meant the loss of satisfaction and joy that a man has artistic creation - especially when it comes to something as complex as the creation of music. Can Mrs Turunen keep very high artistic quality of their work to date, they should be able to attract open-minded listener even with renewed style Jump. I wish it to her anyway.