Leaves Eyes are the masters of Symphonic Metal and their new album is a masterclass in musicianship and storytelling. Each album has a Nordic theme and this one is no different. ‘Sign Of The Dragon’ highlights the power and beauty of Elina Siirala’s vocals as she takes to the helm from Liv Kistine and steers the ship in a more energetic direction. There seems to be a fresh hunger in the band on this album which fuses the already mentioned new vocal presence along with a huge step up in the actual music. On some of the tracks you can quite easily picture yourself on the shoreline as the Viking longboats set of for new horizons full of passion and vigor. But there are also tracks that picture an old village with the sound of loots and hand drums being played (picture Robin Hood/ GOT).
Leaves Eyes have a legion of fans around the globe that will be hungry for this new album and I envisage them playing in every corner of the earth to support this album as their live shows are a spectacle to watch.
For me, stand out tracks include ‘Shadows In The Night’ with its driving hook and operatic opening and sing along. ‘Like A Mountain’ which starts haunting and builds to an epic crescendo of thundering drums coupled with Elina’s huge vocal range.
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