So I am thinking of upgrading my ticket with meet and greet upgrade. If any of you did this, is it worth the price? I see you got the photo with Tarja and some time to talk with her.

Credits to Nicholas.

This channel also has Sleeping Sun, Anemoia and Ohne Dich for your perusal.

A clip from the Festival 1001 notes in Limoges.

I was researching this festival a bit, it seems to be focused on classical music with a twist or a modern approach it seems. I liked it a lot that Tarja branched out from the usual festivals this Summer, and is doing a semi classical concert here and there.

I had never heard of Mr. Horvath before this Tarja collaboration. His résumé is surely impressive, I am sure playing this répertoire is refreshing for him. I do have to say that from what I have seen, he is not really accompanying the vocals, he is doing his own thing.

He plays amazingly, if it is even needed to be pointed out.

Both Kuolema and Sleeping Sun sound almost unrecognizable though. They are beautiful and simple melodies. But he shifts them into something else. I think it worked very well on Anemoia but here it feels overplayed.

Tarja sounds good but I did not feel they were in sync, or the format worked all too well. Usually pianists accompany the singer but it seems to me he is used to doing his own acrobatics by himself.

You occasionally come across a peculiar kind of album that defies conventional standards of judgment. Works that are impossible to call failures, because both their execution and the people behind them command genuine respect, yet just as difficult to describe as successes, since they struggle to inspire anything beyond polite admiration. These records are like magnificent palaces, every room decorated with impeccable taste, yet in which no one has ever thought to throw a single party.

For the vast majority of our loyal readers, Frisson Noir may well belong to precisely that category.

And yet, on paper, everything seemed perfectly aligned to generate excitement. Tarja remains one of the most instantly recognizable voices in the Metal scene. Her career commands respect. So does her aura. Her departure from Nightwish left behind a scar that is still visible among many symphonic Metal fans, while her solo career has allowed her to build a deeply personal artistic universe and an exceptionally loyal following. Add to that a lavish production, seasoned musicians, several prestigious guest performers, carefully crafted orchestral arrangements, impeccable mixing, and resources that were clearly substantial. All the ingredients are there. Every single one.

Unfortunately, the kitchen forgets the one thing that matters most: flavor. Not the quality ingredients—they're all present—but the flavor itself. Because Frisson Noir's main problem lies neither in its execution, nor in its stated ambitions, nor even in its artistic choices. It lies in something far more fundamental: the near-constant absence of memorable songs.

The album suffers from an ailment that has become surprisingly common in certain modern symphonic productions: confusing richness with depth. Every track piles on XXL layers of instrumentation, arrangements, shifts in atmosphere, orchestral flourishes, and vocal showcases. Everything is meticulously assembled, flawlessly produced, and carefully calibrated. Yet once the record is over, very few melodies truly linger in the memory—and as for me, not a single one.

The production, however, genuinely deserves praise. The sound is expansive, modern, and richly detailed. Every instrument sits exactly where it should. The orchestral arrangements possess a wonderful cinematic scale. The strings enrich the compositions without ever slipping into kitsch. The choirs add depth and dimension. The keyboards elegantly tie everything together. From a purely technical standpoint, the album is remarkably difficult to criticize.

The musicians, too, carry out their mission with consummate professionalism. At times, it's even frustrating. On several occasions, you can sense, beneath certain guitar passages, bass lines, or bursts of rhythmic acceleration, the possibility of a genuine takeoff. An interesting idea seems ready to emerge. A riff appears on the verge of asserting its own identity. The tension begins to build.

Then everything falls back into line.

As though some higher authority were making sure that no single element ever risked overshadowing the main attraction.

The guitarists, in particular, deliver a rather remarkable performance. They manage to be present throughout the entire album while frequently giving the impression that they've been placed in the witness protection program.

The same observation applies to the album's many guest performers. Marko Hietala immediately brings more personality to his appearance than several entire songs manage to muster. Dani Filth also makes an appearance. Chad Smith joins the cast. Other musicians take part in the adventure as well. Their performances are beyond reproach. The problem is that no guest appearance, however prestigious, truly compensates for the structural weakness of the songwriting. A luxury guest remains just that—a guest. They cannot substitute for a song. I counted nearly twenty-five of them, and I've listed the main ones in the tracklist at the bottom of the page.

That naturally brings us to Tarja herself. Vocally, she remains deeply impressive. Her technical mastery is beyond dispute. Her vibrato, placement, control, and years of experience continue to place her well above the average.

But this is precisely where one of Frisson Noir's limitations lies. On several occasions, the album seems more concerned with showcasing the singer than with serving the songs themselves. Performance takes precedence over songwriting—unsurprisingly, since Tarja wrote the majority of the tracks. At times, technical execution replaces emotion. Some vocal lines feel more like a meticulously delivered recital than the expression of a genuine emotional necessity.

The distinction is subtle, but essential. A great voice is not always enough to create a great song. And when a work appears to have been built primarily to celebrate the qualities of its performer, it can end up resembling a museum dedicated to its own artistic legacy. The tour is elegant. The tour is refined. But it quickly starts to overstay its welcome.

Let's begin by focusing on a few standout tracks.

At Sea is probably the album's centerpiece, and undoubtedly the track that Frisson Noir's defenders will be quickest to cite. Clocking in at over ten minutes, the composition wears its ambitions proudly. Here, Tarja deploys her entire familiar arsenal: long emotional crescendos, orchestral passages, melancholic piano, omnipresent strings, and theatrical vocals. On paper, it certainly has everything it takes to captivate. The problem is that length does not automatically create depth. Beneath its many developments, At Sea often gives the impression of stretching a relatively simple idea far beyond the point where it truly benefits. The arrangements are carefully crafted, the transitions seamless, and the execution flawless, yet the composition struggles to fully justify its ten-minute runtime. Where the great progressive epics keep the listener engaged by constantly reinventing their musical narrative, At Sea seems more inclined to circle around its own ideas. The listening experience remains enjoyable—at times even elegant—but it never generates the epic sweep or lasting emotional impact that its ambitions seem to promise. Personally, I stayed on the beach and barely got a toe wet.

Leap of Faith, meanwhile, enjoys an advantage that several other tracks on the album would surely envy: the presence of Marko Hietala. It takes only a few appearances from the Finn for the song to gain an immediate sense of personality. His gravelly voice creates a natural contrast with Tarja's and inevitably recalls a period that many fans still regard as Nightwish's golden age. May I point out that I don't happen to be one of them... Unfortunately, this collaboration also acts as an unintended revelation. The better the vocal duet works, the more you realize that the song's greatest strength lies precisely in that reunion. The composition itself remains fairly conventional and relies heavily on the emotion generated by bringing the two artists back together. Pleasant to listen to and solidly constructed, Leap of Faith is certainly one of the album's highlights. But this summit feels more like a lovely hill than the Everest proclaimed by some of the enthusiastic comments I've come across here and there online.

Finally, The Trace Outlives perfectly illustrates the enduring paradox of Frisson Noir. All the ingredients seem to be there for a standout moment: a solid rhythm section, a few exotic touches in the arrangements, carefully crafted orchestration, and, as always, an impeccable vocal performance. At times, you can even sense a desire to venture into slightly different territory through certain instrumental textures or more original arranging choices. Yet once again, the overall impression remains surprisingly restrained. The song is enjoyable, professional, and well produced, but it never truly rises above that. The ideas keep coming without ever igniting the spark you're waiting for. You admire the work that has gone into it, you readily acknowledge the musicians' craftsmanship, but when the track comes to an end, what lingers most is the memory of unrealized potential rather than that of a genuinely great musical moment.

I'll leave you to discover the rest of the album for yourselves. I hope you'll find a few hidden gems along the way. As for me, my favorite track remains Tango to this day.

The most devoted fans—or better yet, the die-hard faithful—will no doubt find everything they love about Tarja here, and perhaps even more: her distinctive artistic universe, her unmistakable personality, her theatrical approach to singing, and that unique ability to turn every song into a miniature opera stage.

In the end, Frisson Noir's paradox is a rather fascinating one. Rarely has an album brought together so many elements that are objectively successful while generating so little enthusiasm in yours truly. The budget is there. The craftsmanship is there. The musicians are there. The arranging ideas are there. The voice is there. Everything is there.

Everything except the spark.

That mysterious quality, impossible to measure or easily describe, which sometimes transforms a simple song into a moment of pure grace.

By the time the album is over, what remains is neither genuine disappointment, nor disgust, let alone anger. Rather, it's a kind of indifference, born of its soporific nature. The kind that comes from constantly hearing the potential of a great album without ever quite encountering it.

Tarja's most loyal admirers will certainly find enough here to continue their love affair with the Finnish singer.

For everyone else, Frisson Noir is likely to reinforce a lingering impression: that of a magnificent jewel box left almost empty.

Right, I'll shut up now.

• Interest: 7/20
• Production: 16/20
• Personal appreciation / shelf life on my turntable: 5/20
• Final score: 13/20

Tracklist – Frisson Noir

1. Frisson Noir
2. The Eternal Return
3. Leap of Faith (feat. Marko Hietala)
4. At Sea (feat. Mervi Myllyoja & Niklas Pokki)
5. Blaze Forever
6. The Trace Outlives (feat. Sayo Komada)
7. Tango (feat. Apocalyptica)
8. Anemoia (feat. Julián Bedmar & Valter Freitas)
9. I Don't Care (feat. Dani Filth)
10. Against the Odds (feat. Chad Smith)

If anyone knows where I can buy Frisson Noir (vinyl) in Warsaw? Any LP shops noticed? Thank you