Review TARJA ‘Dark Christmas’

‘Dark Christmas’ isn’t the first album by Tarja, related to the holiday season; but is the darkest one she released to date. The successor of ‘From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas)’ is a gloomy soundtrack that features twelve classic and/or modern Christmas carols. Each of those underwent a total re-arrangement and there is little that reminds of the original set-up.

‘Frosty the Snowman’, released as a single prior to release date already gave a first idea of what we have to deal with. The usually vivid carol gets a dramatic finishing. It feels like the ice queen has wrapped the song into a freezing robe where drama replaced swinging happiness. The added children’s choir adds another special moment to this gloomy version.

The same principles are applied for each of the songs on ‘Dark Christmas’ this album doesn’t reflect the solemnly atmosphere of e.g. last years Christmas shows. These twelve musical Christmas balls are pitch black.

Take the dramatic ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ as another example for this transformation and in case you are done with Wham’s ‘last Christmas’, check out the version on ‘Dark Christmas’. The white snowflakes from the original video turn surely into black while this version crawls out of the speakers.

But it’s not only the more modern Christmas songs that reflect the special vibe. Also, classics like ‘O Holy Night’ morphed into a scary carol.

‘Dark Christmas’ is an album that shows Christmas from a totally different angle. With arrangements and vibes that remind more of Halloween than Christmas, Tarja added an album to her list of achievements that is stunning and unusual.