Disco de Leaves' Eyes: “Njord”

Leaves Eyes returns with their third studio album, Njord. I was really looking forward to this CD after hearing the My Destiny EP, but nothing could have prepared me for the pure epic awesome that is Njord. Leaves Eyes has completely outdone themselves with this CD -it's by far their best music so far and -dare I say it? -a masterpiece of modern atmospheric/symphonic/Viking metal.

The same gorgeous, atmospheric music mixed with folk instruments and metal that the band is known for is still here, but they've taken things a step further from My Destiny and Vinland Saga.

The star single here is the catchy, hook-filled "My Destiny," which sounds the most like Leaves Eyes' previous songs. The tension between Liv Kristine's angelic vocals and Alexander's deep, gritty grunts is great here without being overdone. "Through Our Veins" and "Take the Devil in Me" are also great songs of Viking legend told through bombastic, strong metal laced with Liv's haunting voice. Both of these songs also feature more hook-oriented music that will leave listeners singing them in their heads for days afterward.

My favorite song here is "Froya's Theme," with its epic running time of eight and a half minutes, haunting opening bass, sweeping choir parts and the talent of the phenomenal Lingua Mortis Orchestra. This song is the closest thing to a symphony that Leaves Eyes has -and it makes me want more.

Liv's voice sounds stronger here than on any other Leaves Eyes release -plus it seems like they finally found a good mixing balance between the overpowering metal and her comparatively fragile voice. She sounds particularly great on "Scarborough Fair." The album version is a vast improvement on the acoustic version on the My Destiny EP -it's really the most creative version of the song I've heard. The metal working and symphonic instruments work perfectly together and frame Liv's voice well. It's doubtful that this version has a different vocal track than the acoustic version, but sounds like it has so much more life. It's amazing what some metal and a backing track can do.

The most interesting thing to note about this album is the lower amount of death grunts from Alexander. It feels like less than previous albums. While fans of his grunts shouldn't despair because there are still plenty of grunting parts in "Froya's Theme," "My Destiny," "Emerald Island" and "Njord," there isn't as much grunting as expected. While I was perfectly okay with this (since I'm not too big on the growls), other fans will have serious issues with it.

Njord is the best Leaves Eyes album thus far. It's filled with epic metal, sweeping choirs and beautiful vocal work. It's things like this that make me wonder why they aren't more popular in the states.

I have read many reviews for this album. Some people think it's fantastic, and some people don't like it. They think this is not what Leaves' Eyes should be...

This album is definately different. Leaves' Eyes are evolving, and I like where they are going. When I first heard a friends' copy of this album, the word that ran through my mind was that this album was more "involved" than their other albums. Although, I liked it so much, I had to purchase a copy of my own.

It is true that this album has some run-of-the mill/take-or-leave songs. The ones that you have to listen to many times before you think, "OK, this is catchy". But for me, all of Leaves' Eyes albums have that. However, the catch here is that this album has some songs that are so awesome they make the album worth it.

Liv Kristine's voice is beautiful, this is widely agreed. Her vocals on this album are fantastic. She uses an operatic style more, which is amazing. I am so glad she did this. Her vocals get better with every album. I saw a lot of complaints about Alex's grunting on this album. Really, Liv and Alex have found a good combination of their vocals- they work better together than on their other albums. They actually complement each other more on this album.

They begin with the title track "Njord" which instantly has me hooked. I really like this song. I won't go into depth on the songs, other people have done that. Just know this is a good one.

"My Destiny" was, at first, take-or-leave with me. However, after hearing it maybe 3 times, I really like it. I like the way this song is constructed.

"Eemerald Island" is one I almost really like. It's lovely, but lacking something.

Their cover of "Scarborough Fair" is beautfiful. Liv sings this so pretty, then they put a touch of metal that really works. At first I wasn't impressed by this one. I love this song, and I think perhaps expected more. But when I opened up to it, I realized it is done very well. By the way, Liv's voice works great for Celtic style music. She does Celtic style quite a bit on this album, and I love the way it sounds with her voice.

"Ragnarok" is one of my favorites on this album. This is probably the hardest song they have done (at least, in my opinion). This song hits a type of metal that I really like. Alexander and Liv have really made their vocals work together on this album, and this is a song that supports that.

"Morgenland" is simple, soft, beautiful. I know some people don't like it, but this song will sweep you away if you let it.

The absolute gem of this album is "Froya's Theme". This song is progressive metal, and it's just amazing. If there ever is a question that Leaves' Eyes is evolving as a band, listen to this song. This is advanced, and it's fantastic. It's done beautifully. I can't express how much I like this song, you just have to hear it for yourself. Don't rely on the music sampler for this one. There is a lot to this song and the sampler doesn't even begin to touch it.

These are opinions coming from someone that likes this band a lot, but I'm no worshipper, so these are honest opinions. The songs I mentioned are all my favorites on this album. "Njord", "Ragnarok" and "Froya's Theme" are ultimate my favorites on here. The bonus tracks are quite good too. "Lanscape of the Dead" is catchy and grew on me by the second listen. I am really glad about the bonus tracks.

In conclusion, try not to see this as Leaves' Eyes abandoning their style. This is definately still Leaves' Eyes, but they are growing, and I hope their fans welcome this.

*NOTE: Although the album art is pretty, this cd is not packaged well. It has one of those cardboard covers that flop open, which I am not a fan of. Also, this album didn't come with their music video like they normally do. I thought this cd would include the video for "My Destiny" but sadly it doesn't.

UPDATE: Upon further listening, the songs I wasn't fascinated by at first have definately grown on me. Especially "Take the Devil in Me", "Through Our Veins". They really are very good.

The lead singer is easy on the eyes and the photographer is doing a fantastic job of telling a story with the cover art. The music ... it's not bad; Liv is a talented singer and the the rest of the band are competent. In the end their work reminds me strongly of Sarah Brightman's Symphony, but Njord and Vinland Saga lack the energy, production values, and passion of that album. It may not be a fair comparison but listening to those to albums had me start playing Symphony as I write this review.

I love this band. Liv has such talent. Would recommend to anyone even people that do not follow this type of music.

In my personal opinion I think this doble CD is a gift from Njord because we can listen a different gotic metal or sinfonic metal , She (Liv Kristine) has a beautiful and sweet voice and these atributes are a excelent complement with the music. When I listened for first time the song (Njord) I said! I NEED TO BUY THIS ALBUM but the Special Edition because is a gift for all NEW FANS like Me!!!