Female-fronted symphonic metal is a favorite genre of mine, and Leaves’ Eyes is one of the most well-known bands in the genre, having been bringing music to us for twenty years. The band has returned now with their ninth studio album, entitled Myths of Fate.
While symphonic metal represents the core of Leaves’ Eyes’ sound, they manage to blend other influences and styles into their music. The press release notes: “Leaves’ Eyes once again merge traditional metal genres by fusing elements of folk, gothic, and classical music into a captivating sonic masterpiece.” These elements are all present, with folky and classical styles being quite prominent throughout. Elina Siirala’s vocals sometimes add a gothic touch to the proceedings, as well, and it works wonders. All the musicians play their parts well, and Elina’s vocals are a thing of beauty. I have somewhat mixed feelings on Alexander Krull’s growls—sometimes they work well and add emphasis, but other times they do not seem to fit in the song as seamlessly as hoped.
The overall sound of the album is quite heavy, with hard-hitting guitars and a thick bottom end. At some points I almost wish for a slightly less bottom-heavy mix, in fact, as it can threaten to overshadow the guitar work. But that’s a minor complaint, as the overall sound of the album is quite good—clear and modern, but not overly sterile. Lyrically, the band dwells in the realms of “the fantastic world of legends from North and Eastern European mythology” (from the press release). But what of the individual songs themselves? How do they stack up upon listening?
The album begins with “Forged by Fire.” The symphonic opening to this song pumps you up for the album. We then get a chugging riff and rhythm underneath the symphonic elements, and it’s effective. The vocals blend Alexander’s growls and Elina’s clean singing. Elina gives us a soaring chorus with Alexander’s growls driving it home. What we have here is a good opening track.
The folky touches on “Realm of Dark Waves” work very well indeed. The verse features good melody and good background vocals. The chorus is catchy and we also get a quality guitar solo.
“Who Wants to Live Forever” sports both a memorable chorus and a lovely keyboard melody.
An ominous opening begins “Hammer of the Gods.” When the song kicks in in earnest, we get a great, marching rhythm. The song once more alternates between growls and cleans on the prechorus and chorus, and the chorus is a very hooky one. The softer bridge section really demonstrates Elina’s vocal skill. I guarantee that this song will be rattling in your head after hearing it.
“In Eternity” features a sing-along opening. We also get great verse melodies, and an excellent prechorus that leads into one of the best choruses on the album. My only complaint about this song is that it is too short!
“Fear the Serpent” builds nicely before a hooky chorus. I especially appreciate the end of the chorus as it is written and structured in a way that really brings emphasis to the song and also sports a nice riff. There is also a great, albeit brief, riff at the bridge. The growls are used quite well on the bridge and we get an excellent solo.
Next we get a lovely ballad in the form of “Goddess of the Night.” The melodies here are gorgeous. Elina sings the song very well, but thankfully she does not oversell her vocals here, but uses them to fit the song. The instrumental accompaniment is also quite appropriate.
The horns that begin “Sons of Triglav” really help set the stage for the song. The chorus comes in and immediately hooks into your brain. Growls and cleans alternate here, as well, and blend superbly on the supremely catchy chorus. The solo is excellent.
“Elder Spirit” sports good guitar work and a catchy chorus. The grows on the second verse do not quite fit, in my opinion, but they work very well on the prechorus. The melodies in the song are nicely done, and the solo is great.
“Einherjar” is, in my opinion, the peak of the album. The guitar work is very catchy, and we get some of the best riffs on the album. The chorus is fantastic, as are the symphonic parts. I would say this song is the number one album highlight.
A catchy vocal opening begins “Sail with the Dead.” The instrumental parts of this song work well, and we get some great riffing in the verses. The prechorus is just epic, and the chorus itself is melodically appealing.
On the whole, Leaves’ Eyes has given us a very good symphonic metal album. Some tracks could benefit from stronger riffing—although that’s often the case with the genre, and we do some good riffs throughout. The growls occasionally do not fit perfectly, in my opinion, although there are plenty of moments where they do—the prechorus to “Elder Spirit” is a great example. Elina’s voice is lovely and she sings her parts very well. The musicianship is uniformly excellent. There are no duds song-wise, either, with just about every song having at least some catchy sections to stick in your head. If you’re a fan of symphonic metal, especially that which tends towards the heavier end of that spectrum, then you need to check out the latest from Leaves’ Eyes.
Curtis’ rating: 8.5/10
Pre-Order: https://leaveseyes.bfan.link/Myths-of-Fate
“Myths Of Fate” track listing:
01. Forged by Fire
02. Realm of Dark Waves
03. Who Wants to Live Forever
04. Hammer of the Gods
05. In Eternity
06. Fear the Serpent
07. Goddess of the Night
08. Sons of Triglav
09. Elder Spirit
10. Einherjar
11. Sail with the Dead
LEAVES’ EYES is:
Elina Siirala – Vocals
Alexander Krull – Vocals
Micki Richter – Guitar
Luc Gebhardt – Guitar
Joris Nijenhuis – Drums
For More Info Visit:
https://www.leaveseyes.de
https://www.facebook.com/leaveseyesofficial
https://www.instagram.com/leaveseyesofficial
https://www.afm-records.de
LEAVES’ EYES TOUR DATES
with special guests METALITE on selected dates + CATALYST CRIME:
19.03.2024 DE Nürnberg / Hirsch
20.03.2024 CZ Solothurn / Kofmehl
21.03.2024 DE Bochum / Matrix
23.03.2024 DE Osnabrück / Bastard Club
24.03.2024 DE Leipzig / Hellraiser
26.03.2024 DE Darmstadt / Centralstation
27.03.2024 DE München / Backstage
29.03.2024 ES Madrid / Moby Dick
30.03.2024 PT Porto / Hard Club
01.04.2024 ES Barcelona / La Nau
02.04.2024 IT Milano / Legend Club
03.04.2024 AT Vienna / Szene
04.04.2024 HU Budapest / Analog Music Club
05.04.2024 BG Sofia / Joy Station Club
06.04.2024 RO Bucharest / Fabrica
07.04.2024 RO Cluj Napoca / Form Space
08.04.2024 PL Krakau / Kamienna 12
09.04.2024 PL Warsaw / Hydrozagadka
10.04.2024 PL Gdansk / Drizzly Grizzly
11.04.2024 DE Hamburg / Headcrash
13.04.2024 DE Berlin / Orwohaus
