TARJA
TEMPERANCE ELECTRIC BALLROOM, LONDON
Finland’s operatic standard bearer brings the epic and the intimate
Tarja Turunen: still the vanguard of operatic metal
TINA KORHONEN
TARJA TURUNEN IS one of the most iconic and instantly recognisable voices in metal, so it’s only fitting that her support band should have an exceptional calibre of vocalist too. Setting the scene tonight are Italian metallers TEMPERANCE, who bring high energy and even higher notes to the Ballroom with a trio of singers who soar up the scales with ease. It’s not hard to picture the band on a bigger stage, and they do a great job of getting the audience ready for the symphonic queen herself.
Tonight marks TARJA’s long-awaited return to London, and she’s on fine form. Surrounded by brilliant musicians such as cellist Max Lilja and legendary bassist Doug Wimbish, she indulges in a lengthy set drawing largely on her heavier, more uptempo material like the aggressive Demons In You and Anteroom of Death.