TARJA TURUNEN Talks To LOUDER THAN HELL About 'Colours In The Dark' Album (Audio)

Tarja Virmakari of Louder Than Hell recently conducted an interview with former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below.

Tarja Turunen released a new single, "Victim Of Ritual", as a digital download, CD single and on seven-inch vinyl on July 12 via earMUSIC, the Hamburg, Germany-based international rock label which is part of Edel Group.

An evocative snare-drum that sounds like it was coming from a mysterious place, the tender sound of an orchestra joins followed by a familiar and seductive melody played by an oboe. When Tarja's distinctive voice resounds through the speakers, her warm timbre fills the room. Her melody is full of emotions and tender, before the song explodes into an epic, heavy chorus: "Hysterical, tragical, Victim of ritual, Cynical, critical, Victim of ritual, She's a killer, killer, She's a killer, killer."

Inspired by the one-movement orchestral piece "Boléro" by Maurice Ravel, the almost-six-minutes-long "Victim Of Ritual" is the first single from Tarja's forthcoming album, "Colours In The Dark".

Both physical releases will surely become rare collector's items, being made available in strictly limited quantities. The four-song digipak CD-single is limited to 3,000 copies worldwide, whereas the two-track sevn-inch vinyl is limited to only 1,500 units worldwide.

"Victim Of Ritual" 7" vinyl track listing:

Side A: Victim Of Ritual
Side B: Victim Of Ritual (First Demo)

"Victim Of Ritual" maxi single track listing:

01. Victim Of Ritual
02. Victim Of Ritual (first demo)
03. I Walk Alone (live from Luna Park)
04. Underneath (live from Luna Park)

"Colours In The Dark" will be released in Europe on August 23 via earMUSIC. The CD wil be made available in North America on August 27 through Eagle Rock imprint Armoury Records.

The cover artwork for "Colours In The Dark" was created by Dirk Rudolph and can be seen below. Also available is the artwork that will grace the CD's "special edition."

Despite her light and shiny personality, Tarja's music has always been dressed "in black" — the color of heavy rock, of mystery and elegance.

With Tarja's new album, fans will find out what happens when a splice of color is added to the mix. Or — better said — when the full-color spectrum enters the picture it does not cover the black but makes it shine through with many emotions and landscapes.

Following up on the success of the multi-platinum and gold-awarded previous records "My Winterstorm" (2007) and "What Lies Beneath" (2010),Tarja finally returns with her long-awaited new rock album.

Mixed and mastered by Tim Palmer (PEARL JAM, U2) in Austin, Texas, the songs on "Colours In The Dark" do not shy away from taking a risk and surprising musical turns, introducing new sounds and new musical atmospheres. Still, they maintain a heaviness that will surely bring a big smile to the hardest of rockers. With its grand orchestra and choir arrangements, Tarja's next milestone emphasizes once again the impressive vocal range of the Finnish artist and shows her artistic growth. With ten brand new songs and over one hour of music, "Colours In The Dark" is definitely going to be one of the brightest moments for rock in 2013.

In a recent interview with the Music Legends web site, Turunen stated about her upcoming CD: "I have just recently found my style and sound so I would like to establish it with the third studio album. The elements on the album will remain the same as in my previous albums, also the versatile style of songs. I like to keep the big dynamic changes between my songs, so that album songs feel radically different from each other.

"I am not stressed at all this time, even though I am producing the album on my own again. I have been lucky to gather around a group of musicians who are willing to work with me, so everything is going smoothly."

Tarja and her husband/manager Marcelo Cabuli recently became the parents of their first child.

"Act I" was released in North America on September 4, 2012 in 2-CD, 2-DVD and Blu-ray format via the Eagle Rock imprint Armoury Records, in conjunction with earMUSIC.

Tarja's sophomore solo album, "What Lies Beneath", sold around 1,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 24 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

Interview: