LEAVES' EYES

Vikings, they seem to be getting a lot of attention lately, maybe due to the boom of the folk/celt metal scene. It’s Leaves’ Eyes turn and they’ve done it very well; in their own way. Leaves’ eyes separate themselves from the pack of the symphonic metal scene without ever denying being part of it. A perfect conjugation of the already established sound of what’s expected from a band of this subgenre, allied with pure folk elements, ‘Kings of Kings’ is indeed a very earthly symphony. Liv Kristine is, again, able to bring us back to the emotions of the early days of the symphonic metal scene, but this time with a well improved vocal presentation. Emotional, still pristine as per her usual trademark, but with a not seen to date power. Power that doesn’t come from the voice itself (it has always been there), but from what seems a very personal and improved part of our front woman. An already well established singer in the scene, a trademark of the genre, she’s still able to show renewed strength in every single release.Alongside Alexander Krull’s warm and deep grunts, and the well tasted choirs found along this full length, you can’t really ask for more balance and synchronization. The beauty and the beast is still kind of present, but refreshingly, not all over the place. The multiplicity of layers on this album is superb and the collaborations with Epica’s Simone Simons and Lindy-Fay Hella (Wardruna) give it the final edge. The choruses are epic and what’s before and after it comes from a very epic, brilliant mind. There is not a need for over complexity in this kind of release and this is clear in this ‘King of Kings’; it’s the atmosphere that brings the intensity. The melancholy is there but don’t get too attached, this album is a battle!

LABEL:

FORMAT:

AFM Records

Album

KING OF KINGS

Review by Salomé Sequeira

RUNNING TIME:

43:15

RELEASE DATE:

11th Sept 2015

TRACK LISTING

1) Sweven
2) King of Kings
3) Halvdan the Black
4) The Waking Eye
5) Feast of the Year
6) Vengeance Venom
7) Sacred Vow
8) Edge of Steel
9) Haraldskvæði
10) Blazing Waters
11) Swords in Rock

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Deu & Nor

"The melancholy is there but don’t get too attached, this album is a battle!"