Tarja Turunen has opened up about how her long-awaited collaboration with Apocalyptica came together for her upcoming album, Frisson Noir.
The Finnish singer has known the cello-metal band for many years. Since both artists come from Finland’s metal scene, their paths had crossed before. However, they had never recorded a proper studio collaboration together until now.
That changed after Tarja saw Apocalyptica perform live at a festival in Italy. The show left a strong impression on her and gave her a clear idea for one of her own songs.
“I saw them live for the first time… and I’m like, ‘Wow, wow,’ it really made a huge impact on me.”
After returning home, Tarja went back to her own material and started looking for a song that could fit Apocalyptica’s powerful cello sound. She eventually found a piano-based track called “Tangmo,” which had a rhythmic melody and felt like the right piece for the band.
“I came back home, I went through my songs and I had this piano song called Tangmo… and I said, ‘This is a perfect cello song,’ and I dare to ask if they would be interested in collaborating with me in this song.”
The idea worked. According to Tarja, the song was transformed into a cello-centered piece, giving it a new identity while keeping its original emotional core.
The collaboration will appear on Frisson Noir, Tarja’s upcoming album, which is set for release on June 12, 2026, through earMUSIC. The label describes the record as a 10-track album featuring guest performances from Apocalyptica, Marko Hietala, Dani Filth, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.
Tarja has also described Frisson Noir as her heaviest record to date. On her official website, she explained that “frisson” refers to the moment when music sends a physical shiver through the body, turning sound into emotion and memory.
The album will also mark Tarja’s first new studio album of original material in seven years, following 2019’s In The Raw. Louder reported that the record will mix her operatic voice with progressive and symphonic metal elements.
For Tarja, the Apocalyptica collaboration seems to be more than just a guest appearance. It came from a live moment that inspired her, then turned into a studio partnership that had been waiting to happen for years.
With Frisson Noir, Tarja is bringing together different sides of her musical world: heavy metal, classical emotion, cinematic arrangements, and major guest musicians. The Apocalyptica track appears to be one of the clearest examples of that vision.
