Leave’s Eyes – Njord

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009, posted by K.Panagiotis

Njord… the God of sailing in Scandinavian Mythology. Ships into deep black seas, the familiar logo, beauty in darkness in front and five followers surrounding her. Too obvious as a cover of a Gothic metal band release?

Yes, dear readers, this is the new album of Leaves’ Eyes and it has been long. Let’s see what this waiting has brought…

First of all let’s just say, that none expects a dramatic change in the familiar band’s sound. The new album sounds just as the same as the previous albums. Crystal clear production is here, the ethereal beautiful vocal lines of Liv Kristine are here, Alexander’s Krull’s brutal vocals are here-and some clean too-and also his easy listening songwriting is also here. There are though some things, that separate this release from the previous ones, and here they are one by one.

The nice and good flow of the songs from the beginning of the record, till the end of it. All songs together, do not exceed the duration of 56 minutes, and the tempos of the songs, move your head rhythmically throughout the album. Also the sound and the compositions seem a bit heavier and more aggressive, within the expected though. Mid tempo in its entirety ,with some fast breaks here and there, some double bass drumming that give this different character to some of the songs.

We should also refer to the usual folk sounds, one of the band’s elements that goes on to this album, although not as much as on the previous ones.

Liv Kristine’s vocal abilities, by no doubt, are once more exceptional and make the songs even more interesting, than what they already are. Finally, once more the orchestration of the songs, is absolutely beautiful and highly impressive.Nothing to complain at all, but the somehow usual soundscapes that seem all the time so familiar, but somehow richer than before.

In conclusion, Leaves’ Eyes took their time and this gave them a more tight result.
A nice atmospheric metal record, good easy listening tunes with ethereal sounds and a bright look to their future.

Maybe with their previous full release “Vinland Saga” they made their path more clear. Now, it’s obvious, that their boat sails towards massive listening audience, with the help of Njord…Get on board! The boat awaits everyone…

Track List	Line Up
01. Njord 02. My Destiny 03. Emerald Island 04. Take the Devil in Me 05. Scarborough Fair 06. Through Our Veins 07. Irish Rain 08. Northbound 09. Ragnarok 10. Morgenland 11. The Holy Bond 12. Frøya’s Theme 13. Landscape of the Dead (Bonus track) 14. Les Champs de Lavande (Bonus track)	Alexander Krull – vocals, programming Liv Kristine Espenæs Krull – vocals Thorsten Bauer – guitar Mathias Röderer – guitar Chris “Seven” Antonopoulos – drums Alla Fedynitch – bass