Following on in the wake of the Nightwish and Evanescence tide, a lot of female lead symphonic metal bands hit the scene - many were very good - and some, like German-Norwegian group Leaves' Eyes are excellent. Blending the heavy sounds of doom-death metal band, Atrocity, with the melodic warblings of vocalist, Liv Kristine (ex- Theatre of Tragedy). Their lyrics are based on nature (like early Within Temptation) and mythology. There is a heavy folk vibe as well and the band make use of traditional instruments.
I have the digi-pack version, which is a nice hard-covered digipack (I am not so fond of those flimsy cardboard affairs) and additional live DVD. With the booklet being attached to the case, it's almost like a little, odd-shaped book. Very nice, even if it doesn't slot into my CD rack. The cover is beautiful and seems to show a dark-haired, elfin woman water bending.
The CD begins with choral singing and chanting as we delve into the haunting "Spirits' Masquerade". The combination of instruments and the beat, with the flowing, water-droplet sweet voice of Kristine weaves a deeply spiritual feeling.
"Etain" is melodic and beautiful. She is from Irish mythology. It is easy to imagine a dancing blue butterfly, flitting along to this tune.
Violins and guitar herald us into "Velvet Heart", along with something that could be wind chimes. It has a stronger beat.
We then have the folk song "Krakevisa" which is the story of the Crow and the Farmer and a traditional Scandinavian folk song. I've also heard it performed by Tempest under a different name. It's very strongly folk, but also rather heavy, with much use of violins (or do you call them fiddles?). This version is a lot slower and more melancholic than Tempest's rendition. In case you are curious, it's the story of a crow that attacks a farmer, and then gets killed and butchered, its parts put to various use. Kinda macabre.
Mike Oldfield's "To France" is next on the agenda and turned from a old-school pop-rock song into an epic anthem. Blind Guardian have given this song their own treatment too. It has a lot of power - I really should listen to the original. This one is quite melancholic and filled with longing.
"Meredead" is ghostly and sung in Olde English. I do not understand a word of it (I thought it was Norwegian) but it speaks of death in the sea. "Meredead" is a word that Liv Kristine coined herself.
"Sigrlinn" starts very folk, but is the first song on the album to have very clear "Beauty and the Beast" vocalising, with Krull growling in Norwegian - NOT his native tongue (he's German) and something he had to do phonetically. Also offering vocals in this song is Liv's sister, Carmen. This is a tale of an epic journey, and the changeable mood of the music reflects that.
Also in a foreign lingo, "Mine Jaror er ei Geimme" is a very soft, gentle song without the Atrocity acccompaniment. It is a medieaval ballad - a poem of a woman mourning her husband who has fallen in battle. Beautiful, ephemeral.
Followed up by the rather heavier "Empty Horizons" which reminds me of Atrocity's finer moments - the low - but not growling, vocals of Krull intermingled with Kristine's finer range. A haunting duet.
"Veritas" provides an intro to the traditional Norwegian stave of "Nystev".
Flutes and some form of string instrument (mandolin) lead us into the lovely "Tell Tale Eyes", in which the Beauty and the Beast singing style is exchanged for a melodic ballad, displaying the true vocal talents of Alexander Krull. The only accompaniment, the mandolin. The lyrics are slightly menacing, despite the beauty of the song.
The final, bonus track, "Sorhleod" is really lovely, even if I do not understand a word of it.
Overall, a beautiful amalgamation of folk, metal and power, establishing this group firmly amongst the best of the genre.
Rated: 9/10
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