Goosebumps, as promised
„Frisson“ is the moment when music sends a shiver down your spine. Tarja made the word the guiding theme of her new album and the tour that followed. After this night at the Batschkapp in Frankfurt, we can say the title delivers.
The album: darker, heavier, more uncompromising
„Frisson Noir“ came out on June 12 via earMUSIC. It’s Tarja’s first full-length album in the heavier sound spectrum in seven years. She calls it the heaviest record of her career, and it sounds exactly like that. It was mixed by Grammy winner Neal Avron, whose credits include Linkin Park and Disturbed. The result is modern and hard-hitting, but it never loses the cinematic orchestration and classical background that have always defined Tarja’s music.
The guest list is notable too: Dani Filth appears on „I Don’t Care“ and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith plays on „Against The Odds“. The singles „At Sea“ and „The Trace Outlives“ had already set the tone before the release. Months later, „Frisson Noir“ is still one of our highlights among the new releases of 2026.
The night: a voice that has lost nothing
The tour kicked off in Berlin at the end of September and reached our Homebase Frankfurt in mid-October. Symphonity and The Skys were on board as support. Many fans will remember Symphonity from Tarja’s 2025 tour with Marko Hietala.
The show was billed as a mix of new material and highlights from across Tarja’s career.
What stays with you most is the voice. Live, Tarja is still in absolutely top form. She moves effortlessly between fragile, intimate passages and the full force of her classically trained soprano. The heavier new songs in particular show how well an operatic voice and modern metal punch go together.
Verdict
Today Tarja isn’t about looking back. She’s about the next step. „Frisson Noir“ and its tour show an artist who, after more than two decades as a solo artist, is still reinventing herself. If you missed the show, you’ll get another chance: the Frisson tour continues in 2027.
Photo Credit: Daniel Benner