Njord (Limited Edition) [Limited Edition]

Leaves' Eyes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 13, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition
• Label: Napalm
• ASIN: B002G1X350
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,024 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Njord

2. My Destiny

3. Emerald Island

4. Take The Devil In Me

5. Scarborough Fair

6. Through Our Veins

7. Irish Rain

8. Northbound

9. Ragnarok

10. Morgenland

11. The Holy Bond

12. Frřya's Theme

13. Landscape of the Dead (Bonus Track)

14. Les Champs de Lavande (Bonus Track)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BAND'S STRONGEST EFFORT SO FAR, October 30, 2009

By 

Chuck Biscuits RIP? - See all my reviews

This review is from: Njord (Limited Edition) (Audio CD)

When Liv Kristine was in Theatre Of Tragedy, they were one of the first bands to use classical female vocals and gruff male vocals, the so-called "Beauty And The Beast" genre. Kristine started Leaves Eyes a few years ago, and "Njord" is their third full-length. Her husband Alexander Krull is the male vocalist and producer, and his band Atrocity is also Leaves Eyes' backing band.

It's been four years since their last studio album "Vinland Saga," and Leaves Eyes has made a nice progression on "Njord." The songs are intricately composed, combining delicate classical influences with powerful metal guitars. The songs run the gamut from loud, bombastic and symphonic to quiet and fragile.

The album kicks off with the title track, which builds slowly into a cinematic and diverse song with Kristine's singing offset by Krull's growls. "Emerald Island" is a strong song, ebbing and flowing in tempo and intensity. "Through Your Veins" is one of the most accessible and mainstream leaning songs on "Njord," with all melodic vocals and a nice combination of heaviness and melody.

"Irish Rain" is more subdued with acoustic guitars, a prominent flute, reserved vocals and more of a folk metal vibe. "Morgenland" is also in that vein, with piano and Kristine's vocals in the forefront. Leaves Eyes tackles the traditional English ballad "Scarborough Fair," popularized by Simon and Garfunkel in the mid 1960s. It's given a symphonic arrangement with plenty of guitars and atmosphere, and is well-done.

The lyrical concept of "Njord" covers Nordic mythology. Kristine's vocal performance on this album is outstanding. Her voice runs the gamut from quiet and emotional to "regular" singing to belting it out in a powerful classical style. She also sings in an astounding eight languages on the album, including English, Norwegian, Gaelic, and even a made up language for one brief sequence.

Sometimes symphonic/gothic metal albums get too caught up in the orchestral arrangements and forget about things like choruses and melody. "Njord" has both painstakingly composed and arranged songs along with memorable hooks and choruses. It's hands down the band's strongest effort thus far.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Leaves Eyes Album So Far!, September 2, 2009

By 

Amanda (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Njord (MP3 Download)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, April 23, 2010

By 

Daruma - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Njord (Audio CD)

The new Leaves' Eyes CD does not disappoint. I think from track 7 onwards it is as good as Vinland Saga, the other CD of this band that I have. Vinland Saga is a bit more subtle and has more hypnotic and enchanting music. But Leaves' Eyes never do any song that is not classy and smooth, and "Njord" is a good combination of soaring vocals, symphonic heaviness, and smooth metal. If you like sophisticated female fronted symphonic metal, get both of these CD's, along with Elis' "Dark Clouds in a Perfect Sky," which has a similar sound.