Sirenia – Perils of the Deep Blue

Sirenia – Perils of the Deep Blue

For years Sirenia were centre of controversy. After their first album they lost their vocalist, and gained another. She then left after just one, and another joined and left for another album, being replaced by Ailyn. Last.fm in particular was always full of arguments over who was the best vocalist (and you thought Nightwish fans were bad…). Ailyn, however, unlike her predecessor actually stuck around and is now on her third album, making her the most successful.

The previous two albums had mixed reviews, with the first coming off as quite strong despite having some pop-metal appearances, whilst it’s follow-up wasn’t as well received despite some rather nice songs surprising the listener. But, in 2013 we are treated to another Sirenia album…the question is simply whether it is an exciting album or an album of typical Morten tropes and clichés.

The good news is that from the start this album doesn’t try to be like it’s ancestors. We open the album with an introductory offering that aims to show that Ailyn has developed her vocals considerably. This is followed by the lead single off the album, and it’s a lot heavier than the previous few albums singles, whilst developing on the sound that came with Ailyn. If you don’t like The 13^th Floor, don’t worry, you might still like this album – it’s a lot more complex, and features a lot of hints at their first two albums. However, having said that, My Destiny Coming To Pass could have literally just come off The 13^th Floor, so take that as you wish.

Things get interesting with Ditt Endelikt. It has a atmosphere that still sounds lke the band but at the same time sounds fresh and original. It’s one of their male lead songs, something that is always welcome to me (Sister Nightfall anyone?) and is also in Norwegian – something I don’t think Sirenia have done so far! In fact, by the time you get to about the 3:25 mark you’ll suddenly be hit by a wave of nostalgia as the sound breaks into an electronic led section akin to that on At Sixes and Sevens.

Cold Caress opens with a common orchestral trope but proceeds to break the typical style of Sirenia to give something that actually has some unique identity within the last 3 albums (though Ditt Endelikt did this too). It’s interesting, then, that Darkling was probably the first song in a long time that sounds like Morten remembers that Nine Destinies and a Downfall was an album – just listen to the choirs in the opening, and throughout the rest of the song. The rest of the song doesn’t really sound like anything off that previous-effort though, and fits perfectly within the style of the album and was great use of the choir.  Decadence, though, wasns’t that interesting to me. Sure it tries to be different with an electronic-led intro, and it’s *very* catchy…but it wasns’t anything amazingly interesting to me (though it isn’t a bad song).

Finally we reach the centrepiece of the album Stille Kom Døden. This is a very odd song for Sirenia as it clocks in at over 12 minutes and is far more like the first iteration of Sirenia, which is of course a fantastic sound.  Some have suggested it is too long, but I can happily listen to it without even noticing that nearly quarter of an hour has flown by – I’d much rather this than another Enigma of Life clone.  To me, this song is a masterpiece and is something that doesn’t try and sell, doesn’t try and be catchy, and actually utilises all elements of Siernia’s past.

And that’s something that is noticeable on this alblum – most of the songs clock in at nearly 6 minutes.  Looking back at the last two albums most struggled to reach 5 minutes. This extra minute has added a lot of depth and development to the songs – thank god, because I didn’t want this album to mirror Edenbridge’s latest opus and be simple repetition of their last few works and show that the band is stuck in a cycle.

The final three tracks on the album are pretty well differentiated – with Profound Scars being of particular interest to me, whilst A Blizzard Is Storming has some of the most unique synths I think Sirenia have used. Sadly there is no gorgeous violin, something that hasn’t really been prominent since The 13^th Floor – but I still think this album sounds very developed.

There are two bonus tracks, and personally I don’t really like either, but they are quite different from the rest of the album – especially Blue Colleen.

*Update* I have now had the chance to listen to Once a Star – another bonus track. It’s better than the other two bonus tracks, though is very typical in it’s style. It’s a nice song and worth a listen if you can find it somewhere.

I guess rating this album is hard. It’s an album that tries to take efforts from Sirenia’s first 3 albums and combine them with the last 2 releases. It succeeds in some areas, and has created something that far outclasses The Enigma of Life (though, was it that hard?). Nostalgia and identity are strong here, and it has a lot more personality and complexity compared to either of Ailyn’s albums so far.

My album score is as follows :

Edenbridge – The Bonding

Edenbridge- The Bonding

Edenbridge are a hard band to talk about. I am not bothered that they are immensely cheesy at times, no, what I am talking about is their inconsistency. I think their ability started to show signs of progress at Shine, and peaked at MyEarthDream (or MED for short). MED was a very well written album; beautiful symphonic passages, well written guitar elements, and Sabine’s voice was flawless.

Sadly the follow-up, in my eyes, was pretty dire. A shame, as I’ve been a fan of the band for so long and I really tried to like Solitaire album…I *really* tried. I just couldn’t like it though (but I’ll do a review on that to explain why later). So when I heard that Edenbridge were doing another album and bringing back a full orchestra and choir I was extremely excited – as that was what I thought let down their previous album the most.

The opening track at first wasn’t the most exciting – it seemed like it could come from any Edenbridge album and wasn’t of any real progression. About half-way through, however, it develops into a style more akin to their style in Shine and MED. I said to myself, “Finally…they are back!”

The next track is just a very typical Edenbridge single. There is literally nothing unique here (though the lyrics are, as usual, a cheesecake – good despite the fatty cheese). Surprisingly, however, the following track opens with a beautiful orchestral section (if that hasn’t given it away, it’s a ballad). This song has very beautiful orchestration and is perhaps one of the best ballads Edenbridge have ever produced – good show chaps!

The Invisible Force shows where the album is trying to go most however. With it’s edgy intro, and chasing string and brass sections. This song is, however, still very Edenbridge. You won’t be surprised at what you are hearing for the most part – though there are nice background choirs in this song that are a welcome addition to the sound. This song could’ve easily have come off MED, and it’s a very enjoyable listen and one of the albums highlights.

The next track is another pop-style ballad…if you enjoy it, you’ll enjoy it. That’s all I have to say on the matter. This is followed by a track that also opens with a ballad style – but don’t let that fool you. This is slower but I wouldn’t call it a ballad; it reminds me of their sound on Shine if anything and that’s a welcome return. However it is followed by a song that sounds like a B-side to MED or even Solitaire to be honest, and yet *another* ballad (and this one really isn’t that unique, sadly).

Finally is the song that everyone remembers. I’ve seen various comments on Last.fm, youtube, and other sites saying that it’s almost like Edenbridge focused on this song and then though “oh dear, we need to write the rest of the album too!” Make no mistake, this is the highlight of the album. It’s extremely well written and easily matches the title track on MED. I don’t really want to spoil your listen of the album by deconstructing it here – just rest assured you’re in for a treat (and compared to the rest of the album it’s a surprise too).

Overall I think this album tries to mix the less-orchestral approach of Solitaire with MED and falls short. Edenbridge – you are AMAZING at orchestral pieces, please just embrace it. Remember Me was the perfect example of your pop-symphonic awesomeness, can we have more of these instead of constant ballads?

My rating for the album is as follows :

Midnattsol – The Metamorphosis Melody

Midnattsol – The Metamorphosis Melody

Change is the first description of Metamorphosis Melody that comes into head – quite fitting with the albums grand title really. But is this change for the best? The band – purely revealed by the opening track Alv, have taken a more symphonic approach on this album. The thing I admired about Nordlys was how different it was to other femme metal bands out there…and I loved Nordlys.
But by the time of the title track, we see that Midnattsol haven’t really changed all that much. Perhaps the music is slightly more camp than before – yet they remain true to themselves, and luckily barely play on the symphonic elements.

Nearly every song is 5 minutes long. This allows for a hell of a lot of variation and development. With Midnattsol switching between heavy but moving folk inspired melodies, to quieter pieces which depict a folk sing along round a campfire. Perfect music to listen to when relaxing, when reading, and when in a good mood.

This isn’t music for the angry metal head, or the fan of trends. This band doesn’t fit into any of the current trends in modern metal, and I don’t really think they ever will. They are similar to Sarah Jezebel Diva in respect to their outcast but beautiful style…something that I really admire and love as it gives the listener an experience completely unique to other bands.

I know many people whom have said Midnattsol ride on a wave of success from their sister band, Leaves’ Eyes. This isn’t true. Liv has nothing to do with this project other than blood relations…and thank god for that. I wouldn’t want Liv’s voice ruining this band, or their camp symphonics overblowing and screwing up their music. Don’t get me wrong – I love Meredead, but Leaves’ Eyes aren’t something I’ve ever found incredible and I’m fed up of Midnattsol getting flak because they know Liv…they aren’t the same thing…

Spellbound is one of the stand out tracks on the album because it’s very different from a normal Midnattsol song. It depends on a beautiful flute line to lead the song, with guitars in support as opposed to lead, and then uses heavy strings around 2 minutes in to help progress the song. Though they used a lot of symphonic elements, it’s nearly always been in a background/support role – but this marked a change in the approach of the band. This is very much against the traditions of Midnattsol but shows they aren’t afraid to change…

They’ve not got any more folk – they’ve always been folk metal (more so than other pseudo-folk bands like Amon Amarth who merely have inspired lyrics, but not actual folk music) and hopefully always will be. They also don’t stick to English like many bands do – for example, the beautiful Motets Makt. This has been something always around in Midnattsol albums and has been somewhat appealing that they aren’t stuck in English like every other band thinks necessary.

Unfortunately, I don’t feel this album has as much identity compared to Nordlys or even Where Twilight Dwells (which in my head just sounds like Elis? Or at least Haunted and Infinite Fairytale do!), and though I personally love the album,

I don’t think it’s as good and really, in the grand scheme of things, probably isn’t that good, so I must give it an honest rating.

My breakdown of the album is as follows : 

Diabulus In Musica – Secrets

Diabulus In Musica – Secrets

I want to say I love this album; I can’t. Sadly that will be the general tone of this review.

Having discovered them through Myspace some time ago I really looked forward to the release of Secrets. Nocturnal Flowers was an incredible song the first time I heard it – if a bit cheesy, but hey, I like Lunatica and Edenbrdige are too – cheese isn’t an issue for me.

What is an issue is that this band doesn’t seem to understand how to best utilise it’s components. They have live strings, and a choir. Something a lot of debuts really could do with, but never get. It opens with a small intro and then the starting track – Come to Paradise. It’s by far not a bad song, but it feels empty. The vocalist isn’t to be flawed…what is to be flawed is how lazy some of the song writing is. It feels like the band have gone “insert some synths there, just to pad it out” as the synths don’t really fit in until the harpsichord is played during the chorus.

That’s the saving grace of this band, choruses. It’s almost like this band is stuck somewhere between Epcia and Delain. A fate that Nemesea famously made with their album ‘Mana’ which sounded like an Epica clone…though I don’t think Diabulus in Musica have quite suffered as much to be called clones, they don’t really have their own identity.

One place I feel identity is beginning to emerge is on St. Michael’s Nightmare. This song has a great opening and fantastic riff throughout. However, it does suffer from the same over-produced emptiness…the guitars are too clean and there is nothing in the background. Everything sounds a bit separated. To be honest, this band could do with some more orchestral work, as by the sounds of it, it could really help boost their music by giving it some melody and a generally more advanced sound.

Another band that they remind me of is Whyzdom…of course, Whyzdom’s debut album was incredible – but Diabulus seem to suffer a lack of identity…like a middle aged man who starts copying his friends, gets a younger boyfriend or girlfriend, buys a Range Rover, and then changes that all a week later with a new partner, new car, etc. It’s not till 3 minutes in to St. Michael’s Nightmare that the band really start to shine. With – it’s not what it is, but it’s the phrase that came into my head – jazz piano and wonderful soprano vocals.

Lonely Soul is a beautiful ballad though. It’s the type of song I do expect to hear when I go into my coffee shop with students playing the piano however. It’s nothing amazingly original, and for some reason I don’t think the vocals particularly suite the song either…but this is probably an issue exclusive to myself. I think it could’ve been a beautiful instrumental track though.

Ishtar is one of the other stand out tracks though, and another sign of where the band can travel. It’s heavier than the rest of the album I feel, but it’s developed. The strings aren’t just supporting the guitars, they stand out and exaggerate the guitars actions and progress the song. Moreover, the female vocals compliment the higher-screeched vocals by being in her lower ranges…and this foreplay builds up to the orgasm of middle-eastern vocals at 1:12 or so…that really makes this song stand out.

It’s clear to see then, that this band has potential. But where does it leave us? They have potential but I felt a bit bored by this album. I don’t mean to offend the band. It’s clear there is a lot of thought on this…but I feel only half of the songs really had the bands identity…and it’s a mixed identity at that. Either way…it’s still a good début.

Below is my breakdown on the album : 

Epica – Design Your Universe

Epica – Design Your Universe

I have a soft spot for Epica. They were one of the first bands – back in 2003 when I just entered Secondary School – that I really admired for using death metal vocals. Sure, I’d listened to some black metal – but I tend to drift from the vocals and beautify the music in place – that’s what listening to Classical music all the time does to you. One day, I was on the internet and managed to hear “Cry for the Moon” by accident. I craved for this artist and had to find out who it was. Epica. I was at that moment a long standing fan.

When Design Your Universe was announced I was nervous. I loved The Divine Conspiracy and I struggled to see which direction Epica would take – their last few albums had seen Epica develop dramatically to a creative peak with the 14 minute epic title track – The Divine Conspiracy.

When Samadhi played, I knew it was Epica. Only Epica could use chants in this way…and whilst I stared at the cover art on my computer screen (full screen, that way I could admire it properly) I was filled with glee. Resign to Surrender starts with huge bombast – epic choir, backing strings, and much less Simone-focused vocal approach. I was worried this wouldn’t work, but I found that it was still very much Epica in sound, and just took a little bit of adjusting to.

I’d hate to say, but I think Unleashed is one of the weakest songs on the album. Not because it’s commercial – I loved Never Enough and that sounded like Evanescence with an injection of testosterone – it just never really appealed as much as the rest of the album…it seemed like a lazy song that focused on Simone purely to be accessible as opposed to being structured around Epica…but, hey, a band has to make money when it’s such a huge part of their lives.

The album has an extremely positive view I’d say though. As opposed to most death-influenced symphonic metal bands the lyrics aren’t just about pointing out flaws or constructing an argument – they point out points of progression towards a solution as well. And though a lot of the arguments result into Quantum Mysticism (which for anyone who is interested, has resulted in many interesting essays and experiments into quantum dualism/dualistic theories). I’ve always considered Epica to be more positive to delivering negative messages…like 80’s synthpop/new wave used to.

The 3 highlights for myself have to be Kingdom of Heaven, Design Your Universe (for once, the title track is not the longest song on the album), and Deconstruct. I know that many who read Deconstruct as a favourite must think I’m crazy – this is true, but it’s not why I chose it. Deconstruct is just a well crafted song that is fun to listen to. Something that is very often neglected in an album…luckily Epica created a varied album where most of the latter half actually flows together seamlessly.

Kingdom of Heaven will always be what draws most people’s attention though. This song is incredibly written, and unlike many songs of its length, it doesn’t sound like several songs with recurring themes glued together – it’s one cohesive song that’s not only brutal (which has had several fans ruling the band a sell out…erm…lol?) but also incredibly beautiful. Moreover, lyrics like “Misled by science, Our wake up call, Conditioning cannot fool us ’till the end” and “Scorn shall be directed at the genius, Represses subtle theories of the light, to the questions of life” show something rare; a band attacking theology and science at once. (Of course, I’m aware of the deeper purposes of this song).
Overall this album is beautiful, blinding, and surpasses all of Epica’s previous work (but TDC still remains my favourite, and always will probably) in terms of technicality, originality, and lyrically.

I rate this album a 5. You have to listen to this.

Leaves’ Eyes – Meredead

Leaves’ Eyes – Meredead

The long awaited follow up to Njord wasn’t something I was really losing sleep wondering about. A lot of people I know were extremely excited, but I was never a huge fan of Leaves’ or Liv for that matter (insert flaming here). It wasn’t really her voice – I like her voice really – I just always started listening to their albums and thinking half way through ‘it’s good…but it feels like it is missing something.’

That opinion ended with Meredead. Not initially though (the first track didn’t captivate me much. When Étaín started playing, though,  I noticed that Leaves’ were taking a more thought through approach to their song writing and had created something full of their own identity.

From Spirits’ Masquerade it’s obvious they are using choirs and orchestration better; Étaín however is amazingly catchy, but doesn’t sacrifice this to become anything akin to a pop song – perhaps it’s the folk injections, however, via the methods of dual vocal passages and instrumentation, that truely make this song stand on end.

I’ll admit, after Étaín I had high hopes.

Velvet Heart was a song I’d already heard on youtube before the album was released. It’s by far the poppiest on the album, yet for once the lyrics aren’t traded in for more simple ones to make it more accessible. Moreover, it’s actually got – though sparingly used – really lovely choir parts written in that complement the use of the symphonic/folk elements of the song which bring brilliant results.

I was excited for Kråkevisa and Veritas/Nystev most though. Songs in written in freaking Norwegian! As someone who loves hearing other languages and folk songs these were compositions I sat waiting to be played when I listened to the album. They are beautiful. I mean truely stunning songs. Of course, the lyrics aren’t the work of Leaves’ – I’m sure both are folk songs (I know Kråkevisa is, and I think Nystev’s lyrics are a folk song or folk story) but they are both so wonderfully unique to Leaves’ Eyes that it’s essentially made this album the album that transcends them from average symphonic/folk band, to masters of symphonic/folk metal – and I say this with great respect for them.
Meredead (the song itself) is also one that caught my attention. It’s very different from the rest of the songs on the album I feel…it’s a song that I think needs to be listened to a few times to truely appreciate…but with acoustic guitars maintained throughout, and wonderful vocal work as the introduction, this song defines the album.

It ends with Tell-Tale Eyes (unless you have the bonus tracks) – a relaxed folk song with male and female interplay. This song isn’t really for me – it’s the male vocalist I don’t really like here, and I feel the ‘alternate’ version on the Melusine EP is better, but it’s still a wonderful song and I can see why it would appeal and why it is the last song of the album…it really contrasts Nystev well and helps reveal the many wonderful sides of the folk/folk metal genre.

I feel there is a lot of room for improvement too – and I feel that they could make a few of their songs longer – as shown with Meredead and Sigrlinn, it’s something Leaves’ do well, where as songs like Velvet Heart feel like radio filler trash at times when compared with these epics.

Overall I give this album 4.5