Released 31 August 2010 Artist Tarja Turunen Label The End Records | Length 55:23 / 73:00 Release date 31 August 2010 Producer Marcelo Cabuli | |
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Recorded Petrax Studio, Hollola, Finland,
Stardust, January 2010
La Nave de Osberg Studios, Buenos Aires, Argentina,
Slovak Radio Recording Studios, Bratislava, Slovakia,
April 2010 What Lies Beneath
(2010) Act I Live in Rosario
(2012) Genres Symphonic metal, Classical music, Crossover music Similar Tarja Turunen albums, Symphonic metal albums | ||
Tarja what lies beneath full album
What Lies Beneath is the third album by the Finnish singer Tarja Turunen, which was released on 1 September 2010 in Finland, on 3 September in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and on 14 September in Latin and North America. It is the first of Tarja's albums in which she is credited for composition on every track.The album was mixed at '62 Studios in Austin Texas by Tim Palmer
Contents
- Tarja what lies beneath full album
- Tarja until my last breath lyrics
- Background and composition
- Reception
- Personnel
- Production
- Songs
- References
In 2008, after the first leg of the Storm World Tour, Turunen took time to compose new songs. She announced in her blog two songs that she had composed in her time off, "Wisdom of Wind" and "Enough", both later released on the My Winter Storm extended edition. On January 25, Turunen announced on her blog the name of her follow-up to My Winter Storm and talked about the album, revealing titles and lyrics. What Lies Beneath, which sold around 1,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release, landed at position 24 on the Billboard's Top Heatseekers, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists. In Finland, it was at 6th position after two months on the official Finnish charts, also spending two months on the German Top 100, one and a half months on the Austrian Top 40, and a full month on the charts in Switzerland, Belgium and Greece, ending 2010 at 13th position on Billboard's Top 100 of best-selling albums in Europe.
To promote the album, Turunen started the What Lies Beneath World Tour on 12 June 2010, which ended on 8 April 2012, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It started with a special concert in Rio de Janeiro, during the big international festival Rock in Rio, on 15 September 2011. Tarja's first live DVD, Act I, was filmed during two nights in Rosario, Argentina, on 30 and 31 March 2012.
Tarja until my last breath lyrics
Background and composition
In 2008, after the first leg of the Storm World Tour, Turunen took time to compose new songs. She revealed in her blog two songs that she composed in her time off, "Wisdom Of Wind" and "Enough", both later released on the My Winter Storm Extended edition.
On 25 January, Turunen posted on her blog announcing the name of her follow-up to My Winter Storm and talking about the album:
After the break in her tour Tarja returned with the second leg, called "Summer Storm", which started on 5 June, in which she played a new song called "If You Believe", which is meant to be released on What Lies Beneath. In a video interview with Metalhead magazine, on 21 June, Tarja said that it "[...] will be a continuation of the method that I used on my first album, My Winter Storm. It is a very experimental album and has been or is My Winter Storm. But some elements are more worked, for example the guitars in some songs. It's an album [that is] more mature and more personal than the first". In another interview in a Romanian magazine, she stated that the album "is an album more mature, the songs are more "film" and have strong lyrics. People around me affect me, the books of Paulo Coelho, the nature and the mysteries of life. Musically the album is a mixture of metal, soundtrack and classical music. It will be a continuation of the previous one. It will be very experimental." In an interview with a Venezuelan radio on 19 May 2009, Tarja said that she has twenty songs ready to record, and she announced via her official blog that the recording process was finished on 14 April 2010.
Reception
The album was well-received among the critics and the fans; it charted in 18 countries, reaching the Top 20 in seven and the Top 10 in three.
The critics generally praised her voice and originality in the album, with a critic of "Reflects of Darkness" saying that "'What Lies Beneath' is fresh, powerful and captivating so that you cannot ignore it. You're either going to love it or hate it. My advice: love it, it's worth it!".
George Pacheco, from About.com, gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, saying that the album presents an "uneven tone" but also praised Tarja's voice, saying, "No one with ears will ever deny that Tarja Turunen can sing."
Kyle Ward, from Sputnikmusic webzine, also gave the album 3 stars out of 5, stating that the album is "enjoyable" but far better than her previous album, as he says that "the songs on What Lies Beneath are a stark contrast to the disjointed and ill-conceived tracks that comprised My Winter Storm."
Metal Storm criticized the songs, saying "Tarja's compositions are not enough for her vocal abilities" and stated that the highlight of the album is the "simplistic yet symphonic/atmospheric character and Tarja's operatic vocal lines".
Personnel
Credits for What Lies Beneath adapted from liner notes.
Production
Songs
1Anteroom of Death4:45
2Until My Last Breath4:26
3Dark Star4:35