The Shadow Self

The Shadow Self is Tarja's best album to date. This album blends everything that she has done in the past and presents it to us in perfect package. The things that I like most about Tarja is that she is not afraid to take risks when she produces her albums. These risks can pay off in a shiny rocket kind of way or just fall utterly flat on the floor begging for it to be brought back to life or to be buried and never thought of again. After listening to this album, I appreciated the twists and turns of the album, due to the plot line, the main heart beat throughout the album. This main heartbeat keeps the listener going through the plot and taking in those twists and turns to give the listener a chance to go back time and time again to rediscover those twists and find new ones later on. Tarja has outdone herself on this album and in my opinion has finally hit her stride on what she wants to do. I look forward to other projects she will do in the future.

It's official Tarja has truly surpassed her old group Nightwish, while their output has diminished since they kicked her out the group, she has only grown stronger with each release. On her seventh (for some reason Brightest Void considered to be an EP), she contains her balance of soft and hard rock, but unlike her previous albums this one is definitely much more on the hard rock side. Her vocals are on point as usual, and the guests that she has accompanying her complaints her very well, especially Alissa White-Glutz on "Demons In You" (you should definitely pick up that single). Every song on here is stellar and any could be platinum sellers. The best song on here is without a doubt "Demons in You", followed by Supremacy (a cover of the Muse song), and Eagle Eye and No Bitter End the latter two was featured on The Brightest Void.

I fell in love with Tarja's voice since the early years of Nightwish. When she went solo, I bought her recordings. She's evolved in a direction taking her in the opposite direction of Nightwish (judging them by their latest recording). I think Tarja and Nightwish splitting was a good thing for both parties. This album gives us another step in Tarja's journey. I love it.

I love tarja’s album the shadow self however I have only one song I didn’t like was demons in you featuring alisa white guliz from arch enemy their vocals just didn’t match up with the song i love alisa vox only version I brought the album for my birthday yet again the song innocence didn’t work on my computer and the cd rom drive for some reason I have to order another one and hopefully the song will work.

There are a couple of good tracks here and Tarja's singing voice is still pretty good. The shame is her singing ability was best when she was the lead singer of Nightwish. The music here does not showcase her abilities and is lacking.

This album was released so close to the Brightest Void, it probably could have been released as a double cd, but I think it works to have the two released separately. The selections on this cd sound more eclectic and rock-guitar driven than some of her earlier releases. For that reason, the album has less of a "concept" approach or thematic feel one finds in My Winter Storm, What Lies Beneath, or Colours in the Dark. That's not a bad thing here since each song separately stands on its own. For me the songs with the most resilience are "Innocence", a song which has a repeating melody that reverberates in my mind; the piano passages are a nice contrasting element. "Demon's In You" seems to have about three different sound-scapes which also contrasts Tarja's vocals with those of Alissa's (it's a shame Alissa can't add her part to every live performance of the song, although she did so at Wacken). "Supremacy" gives Tarja the chance to demonstrate her dynamic vocal range and probably has the highest note on the album. What follows are two songs which really represent some of Tarja's finest efforts & demonstrate the eclectic excellence of this album. "The Living End" is beautiful in its simplicity and could be the anthem of the decade. The carnivalesque "Diva" is epic in its story-telling of catharsis and self-actualization. Tarja's innovative productions never cease to amaze.

A wonderful album overall, especially when taken in combination with The Brightest Void. Because the release date for this album was announced and prominently displayed on Amazon at the time I purchased The Brightest Void, they feel like the same double album to me. Unfortunately, I ended up liking the first album better and, with months to wait until this one was available, there was too much hype to live up to. Add to that the fact that Tarja was coming off of Colours in the Dark, which is PHENOMENAL, and wonderful comes off ever so slightly disappointing. Overall, though, I did enjoy the album. Favorite track is "Diva". The only one I can't seem to get into/listen to all the way through is the Muse cover "Supremacy".

Tarja consistently improves on her past work as she explores the musical realms she envisions. There is a lot to digest here, and I need to listen more to fully appreciate what she's managed to accomplish with this collection.The stand out track to me is "Demon's In You", with the lead singer from Arch Enemy (Alissa White-Gluz) assisting in both the catchy refrain vocals and the quite jarring and sinister sounding growl accompaniment. It's spectacular in every sense. If you can, catch the live performance on YouTube filmed at Wacken.The most haunting musical motif for me is in the final track, "Too Many", an almost hypnotic, trance-inducing exploration of the power of a solitary note in repetition. The only downside is the track includes about 3 minutes of dead airspace punctuated with a one and a half minute mash that's entertaining in it's own right, but should have been a different track without the unnecessarily long lead time.

I should preface this with a potentially blasphemous fact: I haven't been the biggest fan of Tarja's solo albums up to now. Certainly, there have been some individual gems (Oasis, Crimson Deep and I Feel Immortal immediately spring to mind), but I have always had issue with the coherence of each album and - above all - the production. When I heard Tarja was releasing two albums this year, I was very afraid that she was spreading herself too thin. How wrong I was.Tarja has finally found her place with this album. Looking in the booklet, Tarja and Mike Terrana are credited with the key production duties alongside Tim Palmer. They deserve a hearty round of applause, because the album's sound is sublime. The unique qualities of Tarja's voice are finally captured, and it makes a world of difference.The album opens with "Innocence". This is a powerful opening track, showcasing Tarja's emotional vocals above a well-arranged orchestra and some excellent piano playing from Izumi Kawakatsu. Some will say the piano solo in the middle of the song is out of place; to my ear it is very fitting. Already, with this opening track, she rises above the vast majority of her material up to now.Next up is "Demons In You", and boy is this a gem! This catchy number features a duet with Arch Enemy's Alissa White-Gluz, of whom I must admit I'm very fond. Tarja's vocals harmonise wonderfully with Alissa's clean vocals, and of course, Alissa's grunting is entirely on point."No Bitter End" is one of the two tracks on the album that is not to my taste. It's an interesting piece, and is produced beautifully, but fails to capture my imagination."Love to Hate" is another piano and orchestra-drive piece, and those familiar with Within Temptation's magnificent performance of "Candles" with the Il Novecento orchestra will likely enjoy the melody as I can see some similarities between the two. The central passage, asking "Who do you think you are? / I gave you the stars / You made them fall from the sky / So this is my goodbye", captures many of the themes of the album. This is one of many songs on this album that are wonderfully coherent in structure and execution."Supremacy" is a Muse cover, and it's an excellent one. Tarja's vocals are at the centre of this, and they leave little doubt as to Tarja's talent. Her voice is as good as ever."The Living End" is a beautiful, slower-paced piece that showcases the more delicate qualities of Tarja's voice - a fitting song to follow "Supremacy". The presence of the piano, again, softens the mood of the piece. This is one of Tarja's best ballads, easily."Diva" is, to say the least, ingenious. Let us make no mistake about it: it's a brazen critique of Nightwish. After ten years, some might find this confusing. On the contrary, I suggest the piece speaks for itself. It is an utterly satirical piece: its style impersonates the carnival-like theme of Nightwish's "Imaginaerum", especially in songs like "Scaretale". She even uses a deliberately Spanish-sounding accent in places (those well acquainted with Tarja's departure from Nightwish will understand the importance of this). But what makes this so devastating as a satirical piece is that, for me, it's better than any song on "Imaginaerum". Tarja's vocals are incredibly powerful as they deliver the question clearly meant only for one person: "Oh, how does it feel? / Now when there’s no way out / You married your own hell / Couldn’t get out of your own mind". When Tarja mockingly asks at the end of the song that he "Just look at me / Just look at... Diva, Diva, Diva, Diva!", she delivers a light theatrical laugh. There is surely no greater statement: she challenges Nightwish at their own game, and then pulls it down with a simple gesture."Eagle Eye" is the perfect song to follow "Diva"; it is a song centred on freedom. How fitting. This version has enough differences from the version on "The Brightest Void" to justify its presence; the use of music in the round in the final half of this arrangement is very effective. The vocals of Toni Turunen, Tarja's brother, are very welcome indeed. Overall, this is a brilliant piece."Undertaker" has a lot of cinematic orchestral elements, and is undoubtedly creepy, which is surely Tarja's intention with this piece. It is not a piece that can be described: it must be heard."Calling From the Wild" does not do much for me, I must admit.Tarja saves the best until last, in my opinion, with "Too Many". This is a truly striking piece, because it shows just how far Tarja has come since "Colours In the Dark". Those familiar with CITD will remember "Deliverance"; it is a very similar piece in length and in orchestral style to "Too Many", but that is where the similarities end. "Deliverance" is chaotic and incoherent, as if Tarja was wrestling with a recalcitrant conductor and was doing so in vain. By contrast, Tarja is entirely in control in "Too Many". There aren't any vocal acrobatics here; a penetrating refrain is repeated throughout, and Tarja guides us through the theme of fear that underpins much of the album. The lines "'I could reach the sun / I could touch the stars / And you'd stay / For a moment in time" encapsulate the album perfectly: like the album, it's a song of hope, fear, anguish, frustration, regret. It is a complex song, and in the final three minutes, individual musical elements are stripped away, eventually leaving only Tarja's voice singing the refrain. Given the theme of the song, this is a masterstroke. The song is produced immaculately, which truly marks this song out as a classic. For me, this is Tarja's best song since going solo.(A hidden track is inserted at the end of "Too Many"; it does not warrant comment.)Overall, this is an album that should be taken very seriously indeed. It is easily her best in her solo career, and it is one that I know I will listen to for many years to come. Those disappointed with Tarja's efforts up to now should definitely give this a go. I really hope this is just the beginning of an excellent run of form from an incredibly talented vocalist.

Vorab eine Randbemerkung: Das Album ist nicht 66, sondern "nur" 61 Minuten lang. Der Schlusstrack "Too Many"ist nicht -wie angegeben- 12:53 sondern 7:48 Minuten lang, denn nach einer längeren Pause findet sich nochein "Hidden Track". Das ist aber der einzige Makel.Im Vergleich zum melancholischen, experimentierfreudigen Vorgänger "Colours In The Dark" ist dieses Albumdeutlich härter, kann aber mit tollen Melodien und mitreißenden Songs punkten.Schon der Opener "Innocence" (6:03) kann restlos begeistern. Abgesehen von der super Melodie weist dieser Song einen knapp 2 minütigen grandiosen Instrumentalpart mit einem wahrlich furiosen Klaviersolo auf."Demons In You" ist dann ein richtiger Heavy Track, der mächtig abgeht."Love To Hate" (5:57) ist sehr abwechslungsreich, harte und sanfte Passagen wechseln sich ab, ein Prise Bombastfindet sich auch. Trotzdem ein hochmelodischer Song, der ebenfalls einen guten Instrumentalpart aufweist."Supremacy" fängt mit fetten, ruppigen Gitarren Riffs an, wird dann etwas ruhiger um dann die letzten 1,5Minuten brachial hart auszuklingen."Diva" (5:45) beginnt ziemlich unorthodox mit einer Sea Organ, auch hier finden sich dann schwere GitarrenRiffs, auch wenn der Song gemäßigter und sehr melodisch ist."Undertaker" (6:41) beginnt mit einem 1,5 Minuten langen instrumentalem Intro. Ein hochmelodischer, abwechslungsreicher Song mit einem Refrain, der einem nicht mehr aus dem Ohr geht. Auch hier findet sichwieder ein sehr gelungener Instrumentalpart, nur etwas kürzer."Too Many" (7:48) ist dann ein melancholischer, sehr atmosphärischer Song. Rockige und melancholische Passagen wechseln sich stetig ab, ehe der Song in der zweiten Hälfte fast bombastisch wird um dann ruhig - nur mit Drums und Gesang- auszuklingen.Nach 3minütiger Sendepause folgt dann der kurze knüppelharte "Hidden Track". Überflüssig.Fazit: Tarja liefert mit "The Shadow Self" ein wirklich gutes, abwechslungsreiches Album mit zahlreichenHighlights ab. Absolute Kaufempfehlung für jeden Symphonic Metal Fan!

Tarja creates magnificent albums every time, and this one is no exception. From the very first seconds of Innocence, you'll know this is going to be a marvelous ride. The Shadow Self is different from her previous albums, even from The Brightest Void. TSS is darker, heavier (except from 1 beautiful ballad) but inspirational, mixing the classical (the piano is present in most of the songs) and the heaviness of rock . All in all, it is an exquisite work from this finnish soprano, she took risks in some tunes once again. The highlights, in my humble opinion, are: Undertaker, Too Many, Love To Hate, Supremacy, Calling from the Wild, Innocence

Just saw Tarja play most of this album live and it's one of her rockier releases. Good songs with a great band and can she hit some high notes! I probably prefer her earlier work such as My Winter Storm but this is still very good. Not much like Night wish but nothing wrong with that.

I loved Tarja when she was part of Nightwish and thought her album, My Winter Storm, was superb. The Shadow Self is not as wonderful as that album, but it is still good. I am very pleased with this addition to my collection.