Album by Leaves’
Eyes
Label:
Napalm £8.48
review by
Red Fox
Centuries before Columbus staked his claim to the discovery
of North America, the Vikings had already set foot
on the great western continent. German/ Norwegian symphonic metal band Leaves’ Eyes have created a concept
album telling the story of Viking explorer Leif Ericson who made an epic
journey to what is now Newfoundland (Canada) one thousand years ago. The region
was called ‘Vinland’, an Old Norse word for ‘Wine Land’ or ‘Plains Land’, depending on your translation.
Now how to describe the music of Leaves’ Eyes without arousing too much perplexion? This is an album
of not one but two core sounds, each sharing a roughly equal presence
throughout. The first is Norwegian folk music represented by lead singer Liv
Kristine’s classical soprano vocals and the sounds of traditional instruments.
The second is a heavy metal sound represented by crunching baselines, wild
drumming and the occasional growling of Liv’s partner and the album’s principal
composer Alexander Krull. The album oscillates between the two extremes,
sometimes presenting them both at the same time.
The story begins with the longboats setting sail from the
homeland, saying farewell to loved ones before venturing across perilous seas. The
tracks take us more or less chronologically through the journey with incredibly
descriptive lyrics capturing in detail the mood and natural environment along
the way. Coupled with the dramatic changes in pace and tone of the music, it is
easy to place yourself within the story and experience the voyage from the
inside out: you’ll have your longboat sea-legs in no time at all!
Of the many standout tracks on the album, lead single Elegy caught my attention in particular.
Partly because it is a beautiful tale of tragedy, partly because Liv’s voice
goes so high towards the end she blew one of my speakers. This song is perhaps
the best representation of the album as a whole, featuring an equal mixture of
traditional and contemporary components. Given the uniqueness of the Leaves’ Eyes sound I’d advise anyone
interested in getting the album to listen to this track first. If you like this
one- as I certainly did- you will enjoy everything else on the album.
Of the more traditional songs on the album, haunting ballad Morning Tree really struck a chord with
me. This one features mild accordion accompaniment and is perhaps the strongest
folk presence, albeit a more melancholic and less jig-a-jig sort of folk. It is
a depiction of the great hardship faced by the explorers as they braved hostile
conditions and encountered death amongst their ranks. Liv’s voice here is
barely above a whisper in places but the understated effect somehow manages to
have great impact.
At the other end of the spectrum, The Thorn is a dynamic metal song which includes Krull’s aggressive
male vocals set against Liv’s now powerful female operatics. For anyone who
would ordinarily be put off by heavy metal, Krull keeps his singing role in the
album to a minimum, using his voice more as an incidental effect in only a few
tracks. In The Thorn he represents
the warrior-voices of the Viking explorers chanting in aggression as they
battled the waves. This is a good song to play when you’re trying to fight your
way through traffic on the way to work!
Although not a true ‘druid’ album, Vinland Saga is an important example of Bardic tradition insofar as
it successfully recounts legend and pays homage to ancestors (particularly
important at this time of the druid calendar). I strongly recommend this album
but must add the caveat that it demands an unusual level of eclecticism from
the listener. I personally enjoy both metal and traditional folk music,
consequently I could fully appreciate all the musical elements of Vinland Saga, but I do wonder how it
would fare with someone unfamiliar with one (or both) of these genres. Fortune
favours the bold, however, and for those open-minded enough to give the album a
listen, the rewards are great. A unique and captivating effort to resurrect the
ghosts of a forgotten legend.
Available from Amazon.co.uk
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