Where do I begin?
I will start from the top; I opened my Spotify. I went straight to new releases. After listening to a couple of songs that didn’t really catch my attention, I stumbled upon these Symphonic powerhouse gems.
The first of two killer singles is called Chain of the Golden Horn. The song starts like a lightning storm. You could taste the sea salt in the air after the first whirlwind melody plays. The lead guitars in the intro perfectly intertwine with the operatic background vocals, and the stunted approach of the rhythm guitar and bass conjure a feeling of adventure and excitement. The intro ends at 0:27, at which point, a vocal melody starts.
Finnish-born lead vocalist Elina Siirala (ex-Angel Nation) is a soprano singer, classically trained, as well as a vocal coach. So, it is no secret that she has the resume and the talent to back up her place in Leaves' Eyes. Her note choices during the verse and chorus are on point, perfectly mixed and mastered into the recording. An integral ingredient to this veritable soup of excellence.
The guitar work and song structure hearken back to a specific sound. Equal parts Power metal, equal parts Symphonic Rock, equal parts Folklore. The syncopated rhythm section consisting of Thorsten Bauer (guitar and bass), Joris Nijenhuis (drums), and Micki Richter (guitar) are air-tight, commanding an extremely heavy sound. Machine-Gun guitars and drums are always welcome, in my opinion. The drums don’t overplay, leaving a lot of room for the other instruments and vocals to form-fit themselves to the rhythm. The double-bass in this song is so steady and on-point, it is essentially one of the melodic hooks of the song.
The second single, Dark Love Empress, is huge. It’s epic. The song starts with a haunting reiteration of the songs main melody played on piano. The twinkling ivories slow slightly, into a light swell. Then the band takes off like a rocket. Operatic vocals backing up the keyboards and main vocal melody, the drums and guitars act like a freight train. Punching you in the face, pulling you in any direction it chooses. This is a special love letter to Viking culture. The lyrical content sends shivers down your spine. Upon first reading, it appears to be a rally cry of the Varangian Guard, as the chorus states: “After the midnight hour / Keep going / Keep going / In the third night watch / We are falling from the storm wind”
It is the repetition of the line “Keep Going, Keep Going” that make you feel part of the personnel rowing your longboat to the shores of Byzantium. This song’s vision is laser-focused, and perfectly balances contemporary metal with classically-trained opera. The vocals always feel fresh, and the guitar riffs flow into each other with great feel and attention. The guitar solo plays after Elina’s refrain has her hitting a beautiful vibrato soprano note, which goes into a slight pre-solo. The solo itself is a beautiful Aeolian melody with classic rock licks thrown in, which work incredibly well, as simple as it may be, the choice of note placement compliment the rhythm, and add a nice break between the vocals.
All in all, I highly recommend these two songs. They are well produced, well constructed, inventive while still being familiar, and executed perfectly for their genre.
Leaves’ Eyes are a symphonic/gothic folk-metal band hailing from Germany and Norway. Known for epic conceptual albums detailing the rich history of the Vikings.
The Full-length album, The Last Viking, will be released on October 23, 2020 via AFM Records.
Written by Steve Knudsen
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