Disco de Leaves' Eyes: “Lovelorn”

Teaming up with a completely fresh coat of musicians from husband's band Atrocity, Liv Kristine, former female vocalist for Theatre Of Tragedy, is now in a new group called Leaves Eyes and 'Lovelorn' is their impressive debut offering. It's no surprise their sound resembles that of early TOT but fear not as there are enough subtle differences between the two that you shouldn't have any trouble distinguishing one band from the other. Their melodies provide atmospheric soundscapes with melodic drum beats and guitar riffs that are at times ferocious but mostly mellow, and Liv Kristine's angelic singing accents the rhythms beautifully. When she opens her mouth to grace us with her heavenly voice it brings to mind a maiden of the sea, captivating us with her seductive siren songs which best describes the feel of this album as many of the lyrics include ocean-related themes.

For the most part I really think Krull's death growls are unnecessary but at least they are used for minimal effectiveness.

I just want to say this:

Ocean's Way has one of the most captivating vocal segments, ever. Liv Kristine's voice is so completely mesmerizing to me. Yet her viking-esque husband interjects with demonic oaf growls during the chorus. Normally, this would completely destroy a song for me. But I can't ignore her voice. So I choose to deal with it. I do this by imagining the scene... Liv is an angelic maiden, singing on the bow of a ship as it courses through the cold night. And in the background, there's a demon-dragon that periodically soars from the ocean water and yells at her. It's an epic scene.

Buy the album if you're into beautiful melodic arrangement, mixed with power metal chords. Ignore the grunting jerk.

Some bands have something that's impossible to name. Within Temptation has an amazing ability to create a magical atmosphere surrounding their songs, and the same thing happens to Leaves' Eyes. Since the first time you hear the opening track (Norwegian Lovesong) you feel like you've begun to listen to one of those stories full with magic, princesses and warriors. This album gets better and better as you listen to it. Liv Kristine's voice fits every song perfectly, her lyrics are pure poetry, and the music makes you want to close your eyes and dream of you living the stories told in each song.

Some of the best tracks are Norwegian Lovesong, Ocean's Way, Secret, FOR AMELIE (one of the most beautiful ballads ever done, it makes you feel like crying every time you hear it), Temptation (probably the darkest song on the album), INTO YOUR LIGHT (the awesome first single, don't know if it was the only single released. The guitars in this song are magical!).

Get this album asap! I bought mine along with Vinland Saga (Leaves' Eyes second album) and didn't regret it. Actually I never ever felt this proud of buying two albums instead of just one (I was going to buy only Vinland Saga because I had a crush on Elegy, Vinland Saga's first single).

As a major fan of Nightwish, Lacuna Coil and Edenbridge I thank Liv Kristine for adding her own magical talents to the world of music. From the first note of Lovelorn I was hooked, no run of the mill chords or lyrics here. Liv Kristine brings a magical quality to her voice ala Kate Bush. I recommend this album to anyone just getting into this type of music you wont be disappointed.

It's always a joy to discover something new and when I ordered this album knowing only that Liv Kristine from Theatre of Tragedy was on it, I had no idea where this new project from Liv Kristine and her husband, Alexander Krull would take me.

I am so very glad I did.

Every song on this album is a treasure from the deepest ocean. From the opening strains of 'Norwegian Lovesong' to the tempestuous 'Oceans Way', I was rocked as gently as a calm ocean and yet tossed about as if on a stormy sea.

Liv Kristine's voice is simply incandescent; not as operatically harsh as Tarja's from Nightwish, but more like the gentle swelling of waves on the shore. The lushness stands in perfect contrast against Alexander Krull's death metal growls and holds it own without being drowned out. Together, both voices are a perfect synthesis of symphonic and gothic metal that just took my breath away.

It's an interesting phenomenon how European metal bands not only embrace the power and majesty of the female presence in rock and not merely as window-dressing. American metal could learn a lot from their European brothers and sisters. With groups as varied as Tristania, Lacuna Coil, Visions of Atlantis, Epica and of course, Leaves' Eyes - is it any wonder that I've pretty much kissed American metal (with a few notable exceptions like Symphony X, Kamelot and Queensryche)goodbye.

If I could give this album ten stars, I would, and gladly.