Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Tarja returns with an album that's great improvement over her previous album, "My Winter Storm". Tarja is an accomplished singer, but "What Lies Beneath" shows us she has grown as a songwriter and established herself as an artist in her own right. She even goes a step further and also produced the album. I think this was a bold step and shows her confidence has grown, as has her desire to challenge herself. While WLB has its weak moments, I think it's overall a strong album. The lyrics and music are much stronger than they were for MWS, and the songs are diverse. One issue I had with MWS was that several songs were so similar in tempo and construction that they blended together. Tarja seems to have faced the weaknesses of MWS and mostly avoided the same mistakes. Another strength is the talented musicians Tarja assembled for WLB are also given a chance to shine.
"Anteroom of Death" is the album opener and an ambitious song. The various tempo changes could have gone awry and reduced the song to a mess, but it works very well here. Guitars are used to their full advantage, and the vocal parts allow Tarja to use her voice in various ways. The inclusion of Van Canto during the choir parts gives the song a Queen-like feel. A fun, theatrical song. 5/5
"Until My Last Breath" is one of the more commercial-sounding songs on the album, with a catchy riff and fast tempo. UMLB is a pretty basic rock song, but it's solid musically and vocally. My only complaint is the breathing at the end of the song. I don't the way it sounds and don't think it adds anything to the song. 4/5
"Dark Star" features Phil Labonte on vocals. I don't know much about him, but his voice and Tarja's mix well together. The song begins with chanting and then the guitars burst through aggressively. The song has a fast, catchy hook. The lyrics are pretty interesting too, and I sense some political overtones to the song. 5/5
"Underneath" is a soaring piano-based ballad. This song seems to be about finding the strength from within to overcome challenges. The song is both sad and uplifting at the same time, and Tarja's voice is warm and alive here. While the song is piano-based, there are the usual guitars and drums that make this song more of a power ballad. 4/5
"Little Lies" is probably the heaviest rock song on the album. While the guitars are heavy, the bass and drums are just as important to the song. Doug Wimbish and Mike Terrana do some of their best work on WLB in this song. Tarja does a great job of expressing exasperation and occasional sarcasm with her vocals. The song to me is about thinking for yourself and not taking what the media feeds us at face value. My one quibble is that the awesome drum solo should have been brought more to the forefront. It has a bit of a hollow sound on the album. 4/5
"Rivers of Lust" is about child prostitution and in my opinion is the album's strongest ballad. The song does a good job of tackling this sad topic. Tarja's vocals take the listener from sorrow to frustration and anger. She really makes you feel the tragedy. The music takes the listener on a similar emotional journey. The song begins with the lone sorrowful piano and strings are slowly adding as the song builds to eventually include choir. 5/5
"In for a Kill" has a great groove. The strings enter aggressively, then the powerful guitars more or less kick you in the face. Rhythm plays an important role in this song as well. The drums and bass sound fantastic. The song includes Tarja's signature "operatic" vocals in the chorus, and she uses it to great effect here. I've read in interviews with Tarja that this song was inspired by both James Bond and sharks. I liked this song when I heard an early incarnation from a 2009 Halloween concert, and the finished product delivers. 5/5
"Montanas de Silencio" is gorgeous. I don't know what else to say about it. The song is mostly Tarja vocalizing with her singing in Spanish towards the middle of the song. The song is sweeping and lush with a dream-like quality to it. 5/5
"Falling Awake" is a fast, upbeat song with a strong anthem. The song is about finding your own strength to follow your dreams. This is the one that features Joe Satriani on guitar, and his solo really gives life to the song. 4/5
"The Archive of Lost Dreams" is the last ballad on the album. The song is elegant, but I think it sounds too similar to the superior "Rivers of Lust". In addition, this song continues the story that began on the bonus track "Naiad". So, the lyrics don't make sense unless you've already listened to "Naiad". If you have the deluxe version, then this is no problem. But I imagine some people who buy the standard edition may ask themselves why she's singing about a naiad. So, it doesn't make much sense that TAOLD is included on the album without "Naiad". Out of the two though, I think "Naiad" is the better song. 3.5/5
"Crimson Deep" is the album closer. This is a fantastic song, and one of the strongest on the album. With pounding rhythm (double drums from Will Calhoun and Mike Terrana) and aggressive bass and guitars, this song does stand out from the rest for me. The thoughtful lyrics and Tarja's passionate vocals are icing on the cake. The song is about seven and a half minutes, and the song keeps up the pace and doesn't sound "too long". 5/5
"We Are" (bonus) is the first of the bonus tracks. This song is OK. It isn't bad, but it doesn't grab me either. This song is representative of the major weakness of MWS for me, which was great vocals but music that was bland a lot of the time. So, I'm glad this isn't a part of the regular album. 3/5
"Naiad" (bonus) is another song that shines, and I wish it had been included on the album either in place of or as a companion to TAOLD. This song inspired the theme of WLB and also inspired the album's title, according to Tarja's blog. "What lies beneath" is one of the lines in the song's chorus. Tarja's voice is warm and mysterious, and the music (as with MdS) has a dream-like quality to it. The bass line is cool, and the violins are a great addition. The lyrics are lovely and poetic. I agree with reviewer Amanda that the song is a little longer than I think it needs to be, but I still think this a beautiful song. 4/5
"Still of the Night" (bonus) is her cover of the classic Whitesnake song. I thought Tarja's cover of "Poison" on MWS was awful, so I didn't have any expectations for this cover. I was pleasantly surprised and think it's pretty good. Julian Barrett does a great job of adapting John Sykes' excellent guitar work on the original without sounding like he's trying to copy Sykes' style. Tarja's hits the right notes vocally. Her voice begins as girlish-sexy, but gets a little grittier as the song progresses. The addition of orchestra and choir give the song an epic feel and distinguishes the cover from the blues-rock original. Even though this is good, I'm glad it's a bonus and doesn't take up room on the regular album. I'd rather hear an artist's original work than a cover. 4/5
I'm really pleased with this album and the direction in which Tarja seems to be heading musically. If you weren't crazy about MWS, I wouldn't give up on Tarja and give this album a chance.
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What Lies BeneathThe wait is over! Tarja (Turunen), the original singer of Nightwish, returns with her first album in almost three years and her The End Records debut! A veritable musical prodigy, a soprano singer-songwriter and composer, as well as a student of the world-renowned Sibelius Academy, Tarja is the most successful Finnish woman rocker, effortlessly fusing metal, classical and pop-rock.What Lies Beneath is the follow up to My Mnter Storm, which was hailed a coup in North America and went platinum in Finland. The release of What Lies ... will be followed by a major market tour of North America and you can expect all the marketing details to fall right into place! Digital and traditional media are already chomping at the bit to get a piece of Taqja ...the fans are right behind. Expect major visibility and sales from this Nordic wonder!
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