What Lies Beneath (Tarja album)

What Lies Beneath
Studio album by Tarja
Released 31 August 2010
Recorded Petrax Studio, Hollola, Finland,
Stardust, January 2010
La Nave de Osberg Studios, Buenos Aires, Argentina,
Slovak Radio Recording Studios, Bratislava, Slovakia,
April 2010
Genre Symphonic metal, classical crossover
Length 55:23 / 73:00
Label Vertigo/Universal (Europe, Australia, Asia, South America)
The End Records (US)
Avalon (Japan)
Producer Marcelo Cabuli
Tarja chronology
My Winter Storm
(2007)		 What Lies Beneath
(2010)		 Act I : Live in Rosario
(2012)
Singles from What Lies Beneath
  1. "Falling Awake"
    Released: 19 July 2010
  2. "I Feel Immortal"
    Released: 27 August 2010
  3. "Until My Last Breath"
    Released: 30 August 2010
  4. "Underneath"
    Released: 22 April 2011

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.[1] It is the first of Tarja's albums in which she is credited for composition on every track.[1]The album was mixed at '62 Studios in Austin Texas by Tim Palmer

In 2008, after the first leg of the Storm World Tour, Turunen took time to compose new songs.[2] 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.[3] 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.[2] 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.[4] 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,[5] ending 2010 at 13th position on Billboard's Top 100 of best-selling albums in Europe.[4]

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.[6][7] Tarja's first live DVD, Act I, was filmed during two nights in Rosario, Argentina, on 30 and 31 March 2012.

Background and composition

In 2008, after the first leg of the Storm World Tour, Turunen took time to compose new songs.[8] 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.[9]

On 25 January, Turunen posted on her blog announcing the name of her follow-up to My Winter Storm and talking about the album:

Turunen with her support band in front of a crowd at the Wacken Open Air.
Turunen promoting the album with her support band at the Wacken Open Air, August 6, 2010
“ My friends,

Happy 2009! In the last months I've been writing a lot of music for my new album.... Song writing is always an amazing learning experience and it has been a pleasure to discuss music with different people. The album process is still going on and I have more songs that are in the working.... With My Winter Storm I chose the name of the album in the early stages and that helped me to create the concept for the album. With the new album I decided to do it the same way, so I searched for an inspiring title and all the songs are one way or another related to it. So I leave you now with the working title of my new album: "What Lies Beneath".[10]

”

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.[10] 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.[10] 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."[10] In an interview with a Venezuelan radio on 19 May 2009, Tarja said that she has twenty songs ready to record,[11] and she announced via her official blog that the recording process was finished on 14 April 2010.[11]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[12]
About.com[13]
Sputnikmusic[14]
Metal Storm[15]

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!".[16]

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."[13]

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."[14]

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".[15]

Track listings

International Edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Anteroom of Death" (featuring Van Canto)Michelle Leonard, Kiko Masbaum, Tarja Turunen4:41
2."Until My Last Breath"  Johnny Andrews, Turunen4:24
3."I Feel Immortal"  Toby Gad, Lindy Robbins, Kerli, Turunen4:35
4."In for a Kill"  Anders Wollbeck, Mattias Lindblom, Turunen4:35
5."Underneath"  Andrews, Turunen5:27
6."Little Lies"  Alex Scholpp, Andrews, Turunen4:37
7."Rivers of Lust"  Kid Crazy, Johan Westmar, Kristoffer Karlsson, Jessika Lundstrom, Turunen4:24
8."Dark Star" (featuring Phil Labonte)Andrews, Turunen4:33
9."Falling Awake" (featuring Joe Satriani)Andrews, Turunen5:14
10."The Archive of Lost Dreams"  Turunen4:49
11."Crimson Deep"  Bart Hendrickson, Angela Heldmann, Turunen7:35
US Edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Anteroom of Death"   4:41
2."Until My Last Breath"   4:24
3."Dark Star"   4:33
4."Underneath"   5:27
5."Little Lies"   4:37
6."Rivers of Lust"   4:24
7."In for a Kill"   4:35
8."Montañas de Silencio" (Exclusive US track)Martin Tillman, Turunen4:25
9."Falling Awake"   5:14
10."The Archive of Lost Dreams"   4:49
11."Crimson Deep"   7:35
Deluxe Edition Bonus Disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."We Are"  Wollbeck, Lindblom, Turunen4:16
2."Naiad"  Torsten Stenzel, Heldmann, Adrian Zagoritis, Turunen7:19
3."Still of the Night" (Whitesnake cover)David Coverdale, John Sykes6:33
4."Tarja Talks About WLB" (On international release only) 13:58
Japanese Edition
No.TitleLength
1."Anteroom of Death"  4:41
2."Until My Last Breath"  4:24
3."Naiad"  7:19
4."Dark Star"  4:33
5."Underneath"  5:27
6."Little Lies"  4:37
7."Still of the Night" (Whitesnake cover)6:33
8."Rivers of Lust"  4:24
9."In for a Kill"  4:35
10."I Feel Immortal"  4:35
11."We Are"  4:16
12."Falling Awake"  5:14
13."The Archive of Lost Dreams"  4:49
14."Crimson Deep"  7:35
Dreamers Box Set Bonus Disc
No.TitleLength
1."Dark Star" (Tarja lead vocals version)4:40
2."Montañas de Silencio"  4:21
3."If You Believe"  6:49
4."The Crying Moon"  3:53
5."Underneath" (Orchestral version)5:00
6."I Feel Immortal" (Single version)4:27
7."Falling Awake" (featuring Jason Hook)4:40
8."The Good Die Young" (performed by Scorpions & Tarja)5:12
9."Naiad" (Instrumental extended version)11:31

Personnel

Credits for What Lies Beneath adapted from liner notes.[17]

Musicians

Band members
Guests
  • The Slovak National Symphony Orchestra and Choir conducted by Tim Davies
  • Max Lilja – cello on tracks 1, 3, 8, 10, strings arrangements on track 1, co-producer on track 12
  • Jyrki Lasonpalo, Pauline Fleming - violins on track 1
  • Rèmi Moingeon - viola on track 1
  • Van Canto – vocal extravaganzas on track 1 arranged by Stefan Sebastian Schmidt
  • Johnny Andrews - additional keyboards on track 2
  • Will Calhoun – drums on tracks 7, 10, 11, 13 percussion on track 2, 10, 13
  • Julian Barrett - guitar on track 3, 9 and 14, bass on track 14
  • Kid Crazy - keyboards, piano and programming on track 7
  • Philip Labonte – vocals on track 8
  • Joe Satriani - guitar solo on track 9
  • Marzi Nyman – guitar on track 10 and 13
  • Bart Hendrickson - acoustic guitar, bass, keyboard programming, orchestral and choir arrangements on track 11, co-producer on track 11
  • Torsten Stenzel - keyboards on track 13
  • Toni Turunen and Timo Turunen – backing vocals on track 14
  • Jason Hook – lead guitar on "Falling Awake" (Dreamers Box Set Bonus Disc)

Production

Charts performance

Chart
(2010–2011)		 Peak
position
Argentina Albums Chart[18] 18
Austrian Top 40 Albums[19] 12
Belgian Ultratop (Wallonia)[20] 38
Belgian Ultratop (Flanders)[21] 46
Czech Top 10 Albums[22] 6
Dutch Top 30 Alternative[23] 12
Dutch MegaCharts[24] 45
European Top 100 Albums[25] 13
Finnish Albums Chart[26] 7
German Albums Chart[27] 4
German LP-Downloads Chart[28] 9
Greek Albums Chart[29] 14
Hungarian Albums Chart[30] 30
Italian Metal Albums Chart[31] 1
Mexican Albums Chart[32] 74
Polish Airplay Chart[33] 28
Russian Top 25 Albums[34] 14
Sweden iTunes Albums Chart[35] 23
Sweden Albums Chart[35] 45
Swiss Albums Top 100[36] 11
UK Rock Chart[37] 11
US Top Heatseekers[25] 24

References

  1. 1 2 "New Album "What Lies Beneath"". Universal Music Group. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  2. 1 2 "New Album". Winter Storm Official Website. 2009-01-05. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  3. ↑ "Tarja - My Winter Storm". Nuclear Blast. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  4. 1 2 "Tarja Turunen To Perform With The 69 Eyes Singer On Finnish TV". Metal from Finland. 13 April 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  5. ↑ "Tarja- What Lies Beneath". αCharts.us. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  6. ↑ "Tarja: Past events". Turunen's official website. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  7. ↑ "WLB Final Tour 2012". Turunen's Official Website. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  8. ↑ "Just another WordPress weblog » Page 2 » Tarja Turunen". Mywinterstorm.com. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  9. ↑ "Nuclear Blast OnlineShop". Nuclearblast.de. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Tarja Turunen". Mywinterstorm.com. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  11. 1 2 "Spinefarm Records UK - News - Item". Spinefarmrecords.co.uk. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  12. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Tarja What Lies Beneath review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  13. 1 2 Pacheco, George. "Tarja - 'What Lies Beneath'". Heavy Metal. About.com. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  14. 1 2 Ward, Kyle (31 August 2010). "Tarja - What Lies Beneath". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  15. 1 2 "Tarja - What Lies Beneath". Metal Storm. 25 September 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  16. ↑ Strix, Eastern (17 September 2010). "Tarja - What Lies Beneath". Reflections of Darkness.com. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  17. ↑ What Lies Beneath (CD Booklet). Tarja Turunen. Berlin, Germany: Universal Music Group 0602527479149. 2010.
  18. ↑ "Tarja = What Lies Beneath on the Argentinian Weekly Chart, on 10/10/10 at position 18" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on November 10, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Tarja- What Lies Beneath on Austrian charts" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  20. ↑ "Tarja- What Lies Beneath on Belgian Wallonia charts" (in Dutch). Hung Medien & hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  21. ↑ "Tarja- What Lies Beneath on Belgian Flanders charts" (in Dutch). Hung Medien & hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  22. ↑ "Czech Official Chat- Week 36, 2010" (in Czech). Economia & IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  23. ↑ "Dutch Top 30 Alternative- 11/09/10" (in Dutch). Hung Medien & hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  24. ↑ "Tarja- What Lies Beneath on Dutch Charts" (in Dutch). Hung Medien & hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  25. 1 2 "What Lies Beneath on Billboard Charts". Billboard & Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  26. ↑ "Tarja- What Lies Beneath on Finnish charts". Hung Medien & eMedia Jungen. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  27. ↑ "Chartverfolgung/TARJA/Longplay" (in German). PHONONET GmbH. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  28. ↑ "Brandon Flowers: From the download charts" (in German). Media controls. 2010-10-17. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  29. ↑ "Tarja- What Lies Beneath on Greek charts". Hung Medien & eMedia Jungen. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  30. ↑ "Archive: Top 40 (Hungarian charts)" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ & LightMedia. 2010-09-12. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  31. ↑ "The ranking of best-selling albums" (in Italian). Tomato Interactive. 2010-09-16. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  32. ↑ "Tarja- What Lies Beneath on Mexican charts". Hung Medien & eMedia Jungen. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  33. ↑ "Olis: Archive- September 2010" (in Polish). ZPAV. 2010-09-20. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  34. ↑ "Top Music Charts- 2010, Week 38" (in Russian). Лента.Ру. 2010-10-01. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  35. 1 2 "Tarja- What Lies Beneath on Swedish charts". Hung Medien & eMedia Jungen. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  36. ↑ "Tarja- What Lies Beneath on Swiss charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  37. ↑ "Top 40 Rock and Metal Albums Archive". The Official UK Charts Company. 2010-09-18. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
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