TARJA TURUNEN (ex-NIGHTWISH) has issued the following update:

"I have good my friends. What Lies Beneath is finally recorded!!!!!

Only waiting for some guests that will record few parts and send them over.

It was a great last vocal session. I am grateful that everything I planned was accomplished. Also the things that we decided on the way have only improved the songs making the overall picture clearer in the end.

It’s going to be a very nice and powerful album!

It has been a 'long and winding' road, but definitely worth every step.

You see who came to visit me in the studio in these last couple of days? Both my lovely and talented brothers Timo and Toni shared their vocals with me in one particular song, which you are going to hear pretty soon in my summer shows with orchestra and choir.

The name of the song of course will need to remain as a secret until that.

It was so wonderful to sing with them. I am very proud of them. We are all very different kind of singers, which makes us a very unique musical family.

The next challenge is the intense mixing process that will take place starting from … tomorrow!

I can’t believe that I am at this point in the production. Makes me really thrilled!

We have decided to mix in three different locations with three different engineers to get the best out of each song.

The first stage will take us to London!!!! I am going to spend next couple of weeks mixing part of the album with Mr. Colin Richardson (MACHINE HEAD, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, SLIPKNOT) at Miloco Studios.

We have met after my last show in London and since then we have been working already in the songs.

I am truly looking forward our collaboration. Colin is very kind and a true British gentle man.

London is also one of my favourite cities in the planet, so I cannot be more than happy to be there. Maybe I’ll have some time for shoe shopping (as you know already), if I am lucky!

Now I’ll enjoy a glass of red wine that I feel I’ve well deserved it."

Tarja Turunen is detailing work on her forthcoming new album, What Lies Beneath, on her official blog at Tarja-whatliesbeneath.com.

“We worked on 33 songs this time around from which I decided to record 17,” Tarja Turunen. “It has been great to have the freedom to produce my own record for the first time; these sessions have been such a gift, a real learning process and a true joy. In many ways, it feels like the first time…”

The lead single from What Lies Beneath, title to be confirmed, is currently being discussed for an early August release, with the full album to follow later that month.