Customer Reviews

Vinland Saga (Ltd. Ed.)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Atmospheric/Gothic Metal band Leaves Eyes has followed 2004's "Lovelorn" with "The Vinland Saga" and as soon as it began I felt it would be something special. Right off the bat you are brought into the tale of Nordic Sailors leaving their home Country in search of New Land. The first two tracks line up the story and do it very well. I also noticed that this time around the release would be a little bit heavier than the last. While I enjoyed "Lovelorn" I felt that it let me down as far as the heavy factor went, and "Vinland Saga" clearly makes up for it. Singer Liv Kristine Krull has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard in a Metal sense and while she does not scream, her melodies cut through the music like a knife. Liv also brings a little ethnic flair to the table by singing in her native language during a couple of the tracks. In addition to this, we have the mixture of some of the Black vocals courtesy of her husband and guitarist Alexander. The rest of the lineup remains the same as on the previous record. The mix of Black/Melodic vocals are best experienced in tracks like "Solemn Sea" and "The Thorn", both should be played very loud for maximum enjoyment.

For a sophomore effort the band has beaten the normally encountered curse. In fact "The Vinland Saga" is perhaps a better choice as a first time purchase when looking into this group. Song like "Elegy" and "Leaves Eyes" are worthy of regular rotation on Metal and Gothic radio stations if you ask me. It is my hope that existing mediums of this pick up on this band in particular and give them the level of exposure they deserve. There are some other interesting facets to some of the music on release. The song "Amhran" can almost come off as an Enya tune while a song like Twilight Sun has a very Nightwish quality to it. The listener can decide for themselves if I am on point with this, but it was what crossed my mind as I reviewed it.

Overall this is a very good piece and I found little that I did not enjoy. Lucky for US Listeners the people at Napalm Records have enabled us to purchase this domestically and not face a large price due to it being an import. I wanted to make note that there is also an EP of "Elegy" available and this includes a number of non-album tracks. They are both something to look into so take that as a high recommendation.

"Vinland Saga", as its title suggests, is a pretty ambitious attempt to reflect the legendary voyages of Viking discovery. Its great to see a band with the capabilities of Leaves Eyes take on such a concept album; in a lot of ways this is a logical step to take after "Lovelorn". The result is a largely successful, sometimes brilliant, piece of music. Anyone who has heard Leaves Eyes before won't find any real surprises here; "Vinland Saga" is pretty much in the same vein as "Lovelorn". Its full of heavenly vocals, memorable beauty, lots of space and atmosphere, and of course the power of metal.

Though "Vinland Saga" isn't really evolutionary; there are some differences compared to "Lovelorn". If you can believe it, the vocal performance is even better on "Vinland Saga" than that on "Lovelorn". There may not be as many catchy hooks, but Liv Kristine sounds stronger and more confident She is better in technical execution and really provides the drive for the entire CD; basically she's the backbone of the whole thing rather just the band's (albeit excellent) singer. Based on "Lovelorn", and now "Vinland Saga", I would have to say that, outside of the incomparable Tarja Turunen, Liv Kristine may have elevated herself to the top of the pack as the best female metal vocalist out there.

Lyrics continue to be excellent; the inclusion of some Norwegian (or could it actually be Old Norse?) is a great authentic touch. Speaking of vocals, there is good news on the death growl front. They aren't gone completely, but they are pretty tolerable this time around. They don't really ruin any songs, as was the case on "Lovelorn" ("Ocean's Way"). In fact, I'd have to say that they actually sound pretty good on "New Found Land" - now that's not something I say very often. Instrumentation is largely unchanged, maybe a few more guitar solos (although still a minor component of the overall sound) and some nice sound choices to enhance the mood - the timpani and battle horn sendoff on "Farewell Proud Men" is a great example - still, its largely the same mix of beauty, atmosphere, and raw power heard on "Lovelorn". The artwork and photography really add to the overall package as well; they mesh perfectly with the music.

For the most part, I don't feel that the songs jump out and grab you in the same way the best songs on "Lovelorn" do, but I do think there is more overall consistency. This gives the CD excellent flow; its a great choice for extended listening, I've listened to the entire thing straight through a couple of times, back to back, and found myself growing more attached to it each time. I don't think "Vinland Saga" has as much crossover potential as "Lovelorn" - it seems most suited to the enthusiast and the dedicated fan. Besides, let's face it, lyrics about Vikings aren't as commercially appealing as love, dreams, oceans - the kind of themes covered in "Lovelorn".

There is one major snafu though, with "Vinland Saga", relating to audio production. Some may not find it all that important, but the more you care about audio quality and the better the caliber of system you hear this CD on, the more likely it is that this will bother you. "Vinland Saga" was over normalized and over compressed during mastering. The effect is that anytime the band kicks in with full power, as in a chorus, the entire mix sounds smaller and low frequencies lose power. This is the exact opposite of what's intended compositionally; its pretty discombobulating when the full on chorus segues into a verse that's louder and more powerful on the bottom. Same thing in reverse, when the song's verse segues into the chorus, instead of the increase in dynamics (and emotional intensity) you expect you get a drop in the power of the drums and bass and a smaller scrunched stereo image. "Lovelorn" did not have this problem; listen to something like "Norwegian Lovesong" or "The Dream" and compare that to a similar song on "Vinland Saga" to hear the difference. "Lovelorn" was just about reference quality audio; its a shame that "Vinland Saga" didn't achieve the same result, the music really deserves it.

Still, `Vinland Saga", is an excellent piece overall. Its greatest achievement is that it really captures the spirit of the subject material, and ultimately that's what great art is about. "We sail the sea...yeah...We fight the storm...yeah....One hundred men caught by endless passion..." I'd swear I can taste the salt spray and feel the waves pounding the longboat every time I hear that. If you enjoyed "Lovelorn" or like pretty much any of the new "chick metal" bands out there, "Vinland Saga" should be high on your wish list.

What I dig most about Liv is she can write every bit as good as she can sing, and well duh... If she was any more easier on the eyes you would have to be gazing upon divinity.

Concept album of lovers, the male being a viking who set off with others on an expedition, to explore the earth, eventually finding Vinland, "The Land of Wine."

Cd starts with the departure, "Farewell Proud Men," the music capturing the power and drama of departure, the lyrics capturing the faith the women have in their men, and of course the fear of them not returning.

"Elegy" on the other hand seems to take place before, the lyrics detailing farewells on a more personal and intimate level... Then the cd proceeds to "Solemn Sea," the ship apparently being captured in a storm, the whole song a seeming prayer for the seas to calm.

Then there's Leaves' Eyes, the seasons change to fall... Winter approaches, she misses him, remembers him... Remains true... Then we go to "The Thorn..." a song about the seemingly deep connection between the lovers, as it seems he was wounded in battle and she could feel that something wrong has happened...

And now Misseri, winter sets in, her first winter alone without him apparently and she longs for his return...

...

You get the idea.

PS: The most emotive, heart felt song that captures my idea of true love is the Mourning Tree...

See for yourself, it moved me very much... You just don't seem to find love like that very often anymore.

I love everything about this album. This is the second album from Leaves' Eyes, and they have a richly developed sound and style.

This is a concept album. The story is based on history, but embelished to include the love story of a crew member on Leif Ericson's Viking ship and his wife, who waits for him.

You can download a video for the song "Elegy" from the Leaves' Eyes website leaveseyes.de which will give you a feel for this album. My personal favorites from this album, however, are "Farewell Proud Men," which begins with the sound of a Viking battle horn, and "Twilight Sun," which shows off Liv Kristine's amazing vocal abilities.

In addition to being awesome musicians, the members of Leaves' Eyes are also very loyal to their fans. They tour extensively world-wide, and take time to visit personally with fans.

When I reviewed last year's debut Leaves' Eyes album, I stated that as much as I enjoyed the release, I thought the best was yet to come for this gothic female fronted outfit. Well I didn't have to wait long for a follow up, as "Vinland Saga" is already upon us. So is it better? Read on to find out.

Leaves' Eyes, apart from having one of the strangest names ever, contains a number of the members of Atrocity, as well as the truly divine Liv Kristine from Theatre of Tragedy fame. Within Temptation is a fairly close comparison to what Leaves'Eyes are all about. It's symphonic, gothic metal that switches between poppy, acoustic and heavy at regular intervals.

My main complaint with "Lovelorn" was the fairly out of place male vocals, as well as the over-simple music at times. Unfortunately, neither of these has been addressed on "Vinland Saga". In fact, Leaves' Eyes has simply tried to repeat the success of the debut album, and played it safe. So if you enjoyed the debut, you'll enjoy this one too, but there's really nothing here to convert new fans. Liv's vocals are the obvious standout feature in all of their work, and she delivers here in a big way. It makes me wonder why she hasn't become a hit outside of the metal community, as she is seriously talented. A couple of tracks are almost ruined by the monotonous gruff vocals of Alex again, so I once again hope that they will not utilize them on future releases. Maybe they do it just to keep this firmly trenched in the metal scene, but I can't imagine why they would wish to limit their appeal in such a way.

There are some genuinely enjoyable tracks such as "Farewell Proud Men", "Elegy" and "Misseri", and I'm certain I will listen to this on the odd occasion when I crave something undemanding and light on extremity. It's still not the album I hoped for though.

Nonetheless, I scored the debut 4 out of 5 and I enjoy this one just as much, with the same complaints and praise, so it's only fitting that I give it the same score.

This review is for others out there who are like me, who aren't already really knowledgeable about this kind of music, and are unsure as to whether this album by Leaves' Eyes is worth trying out.

First, let me answer: yes, it is worth trying out. The music is very atmospheric, and makes for a pretty immersive experience. And that's the best way to listen to it: fairly loud and with few distractions so you can immerse yourself in it.

Now, I'm not a euro-progressive-goth-metal fanboy. In fact, let me start by saying that the extent of my musical knowledge of groups remotely similar to Leaves' Eyes is wrapped up in Lacuna Coil, a fantastic band I've been a fan of for some years. Heck, I even like mainstreamers such as Evanescence. But through some decent listening and research I'd say that of the genre of bands including the likes of Nightwish, After Forever, Within Temptation, and others, it's my opinion that Leaves is far superior.

First is the sound of the music itself, aside from the vocals. A lot of these bands have pretty darn good music, and although I wouldn't say Leaves is *far* better, I'd say they definitely win. There's plenty of different sounds, varying from heavy to melodic, on the various tracks.

The vocals are probably more important to me (not necessarily the lyrics - though both the lyrics and music together do a pretty good job of helping one picture the early voyaging of the Northmen). I seriously dislike death metal "growling", usually done by males. This album only has male vocals on 3 tracks: Solemn Sea (#4), Thorns (#6), and New Found Land (#9). Of these, on track 9 Alexander Krull is almost singing, and even on track 4 he is sort of singing/growling rather than pure growling. Track 6 has quite a bit of the death growling, however. It's there for a reason (this is a conflict driven track which seems to be about a woman worrying/mourning for a husband figure who's in a perilous fight), but in my opinion the music alone gives enough sense of conflict that the growling is unnecessary.

I gave Vinland Saga only four stars, rather than five, for 3 reasons: 1) the presence of growling, limited though it is; 2) the way in which they try too hard on a few tracks to make Liv Kristine's vocals too overtly operatic (Solemn Sea among others); and 3) the fact that most of the songs just end abruptly...I really wish they had given some thought to giving the end of the tracks the same feel that the rest of the track suggests. One or two abrupt endings are ok, but not 10.

In all, it's a solid album, and if you enjoy music like Type O Negative, Lacuna Coil, Evanescence or even Loreena McKennitt, I think you'll really like this as well.

I have recently just got this album, being a major Nightwish and Therion fan and also I liked some of the old theatre of tragedy. and it has become probably my favorite album.

It is played to a slower beat (much like Theatre of Tragedy's velvet darkness they fear) and is very oriented toward Livs angelic vocals and acoustic sounds as well as violens and classical instruments. A few songs are heavy though which seem similiar to a softer form of Tristania almost.

If you are a big fan of heavy metal, you probably won't like this album. Its rather soft and angelic. If you enjoy theatre of tragedy, Within Temptation, Nightwish, therion and such, but don't need to have super fast beats, or heavy guitar driven songs to be entertained, then you will love this album. Even a fan of classical opera would probably enjoy this album.

for me I love Therion bust was craving somethin a little less drum/beat driven, and a little more classical/operatic and I think this is the perfect expression of that. The only one thing I think they could do to improve would probably be to get a male opera vocalist or a choir to back them. they do have some "growls" in a few songs, but its not really growling like in the theatre of tragedy sense. You can actually understand the words for example, and it actually sounds good, even though normally I don't like growls. However this is only in a couple of the heavier songs. Like I said those songs sound similiar to a softer form of Tristania.

I encountered Vineland Saga quite by chance and was amazed at their ability to mix Liv Kristine Espenęs amazing vocal talent with a totally unheard of brand of gothic rock. I absolutly adored this CD and I think that to anyone who has appreciation for melodic rock or a beautiful singing voice to amazing rock music would adore this CD too. The CD seems to tell a story (although lyrics are hard to come by online) and that just adds an extra element of interest to it.

This cd definitely has some good moments, and the vocal talent is as evident as it was in their previous release. However, it doesn't have too many memorable moments that blow you away. Its more like a consistent delivery of the same old thing, rather than a new edgy ground breaking release. I also can't stand the ballad they start the cd out with. I like my track 1 to grab me instantly and let me know the cd is about to blow me away. This opening track, while catchy for a little while, is fairly bland. My biggest gripe with the cd, which carries over from the last one as well, is that it is WAY over produced. The music is far too muddy, and the vocals are so overprocessed you can barely hear her beautiful fundamental tone. Compare this to the new Within Temptation cd and you'll see the clear difference between good and bad production. Overall its a decent cd that will live a little longer in my player, but its not something I will remember for long

This is a wonderful album. The title track is a great intro to the rest of this epically stunning album. Liv Kristine has one of the most beautiful voices in metal music. It's serene, melodic, and flows with the music perfectly. It's as good as Tarja Turunen (formerly of Nightwish), and that's a hell of a compliment! While Tarja's voice is powerful, somewhat opera-like (less so on later albums), and beautiful in its own right, Liv's voice is almost angelic-like. Be forewarned, however, that there are some backup growls to accompany Liv's singing, but it's seldom, and it really only adds to the power of the songs (although they would be no less w/out them). This is good viking music. The band gels so well (that could be b/c Liv is married to someone in a metal band called Atrocity). "Farewell Proud Men" and "Solemn Sea" are probably the heaviest songs on the album, "Elegy" is soaringly beautiful with a catchy guitar solo, and the rest of the album is mostly more subdued but every song is essential to uniting this album into the masterpiece that it is. For strict serenity and beauty and none of the metal, check out "Amhran (Song Of The Winds)", which is mostly comprised of the angelic vocals with some nice strings, with the occasional cymbal and bass drum to keep the viking theme and sound alive. The addition of strings to a few of the songs as well as a number of wind instruments help give the album that wonderful atmospheric/new age/serene touch. Other highlights are "New Found Land" and "Mourning Tree". If you're into Lacuna Coil, Nightwish, Midnattsol, or Evanescence ( I suppose; I don't listen to them, so I can't be sure), or even Delerium, check this out. Regardless of sex, or age, or your taste in music, everyone should at least appreciate this album (or respect it), if not grow to love it. This is in the top 5 of the most beatiful albums I own (and I have about 400 albums, ranging from rock to metal, but mostly all rock and metal). This music moves you, and takes you to another place where your mind is set free. It's eclectic, uplifting, and wonderful.
P.S. Good music to play Warcraft by!