Sirenia – “The Enigma of Life” (2011)
Label : Nuclear Blast Records
Review by Tony Cannella
The long running Norwegian Symphonic/Gothic Metal band Sirenia has always managed to write good songs, going all the way back to their 2002 debut, “At Sixes and Sevens” right on up through their excellent 2009 release “The 13th Floor” – which was the first album to feature new vocalist Ailyn. Now, the band returns with their fifth full-length release “The Enigma of Life”. Sirenia has always done a great in incorporating choirs and symphony elements into their music and “The Enigma of Life” is no different, they also don’t stray too far from what their fans love about them. As on their previous album, vocalist Ailyn does a great job throughout the course of “The Enigma of Life”. The melodically charged opener “The End of It All” begins things, with a big symphonic arrangement and a wickedly infectious chorus and melody. That is pretty much what you can expect on “The Enigma of Life”, plenty of well written songs, with thoughtful and articulate lyrics. Morten Veland adds his vocals (both harsh and clean) to the mix at certain points throughout the CD. “Fallen Angel”, “All My Dreams” and “Darkened Days to Come” are three more highlights, while the album is concluded by my favorite song “The Enigma of Life”, which ends the CD on a definite high. It is good to see that Sirenia continues to grow and mature. With Ailyn firmly entrenched now and fitting in quite well in the vocalist role, “The Enigma of Life” is sure to please die-hard fans and just may acquire Sirenia some well deserved new fans as well.
Rating – 87/100
Tracklist
- The End of It All
- Fallen Angel
- All My Dreams
- This Darkness
- The Twilight in Your Eyes
- Winter Land
- A Seaside Serenade
- Darkened Days to Come
- Coming Down
- This Lonely Lake
- Fading Star
- The Enigma of Life
Line Up
- Ailyn (Pilar Giménez García) – Female Vocals
- Morten Veland – Clean/Harsh Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Drums, Keyboards, Programming
Links
MySpace * Facebook * Google Plus * Twitter * Site
Sirenia – “The 13th Floor” (2009)
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Review by Jenna K. Barry
Fans of earlier Sirenia offerings will find a satisfying fusion of both style and performance with “The 13th Floor”. This band, founded by the ambitious Morten Veland (formerly of Tristania), has thrived despite the fact that Sirenia has gone through three female singers already. This release is the first to feature the Spanish X-Factor contestant, Ailyn. Several of her covers on YouTube left me dubious, but I have just listened to “The 13th Floor” in its entirety. Though not, in my opinion, a masterpiece, it is clearly a step in the right direction for a band whose last release floundered in the sea of femme metal albums. “The Path to Decay” at first sounds like a continuation of “Nine Destinies and a Downfall”. Then a strangely alluring female voice begins to cast a distinctive spell and it becomes clear that, although the music is still accessible as on the previous release, Morten has managed to find a singer who combines the qualities of all her predecessors. The song is very catchy and a great one if you like songs that are easy to belt out until the neighbors complain! The lyrics lack the evocative feel of the first two albums, and Ailyn can be hard to understand. “Lost in Life” is pretty straightforward, with a jaunty tune. A real highlight is the compelling song, The Mind Maelstrom. It could be the choirs, which feature strongly. I think it is arguably the most superior song on the album, with some of the complexity I had come to miss from Sirenia. The Seventh Summer features a beautiful intro with a flourish! The orchestral beginning is reminescent of earlier releases. The addition of growls is a welcome surprise after the scarcity on the last album. On Beyond Life’s Scenery, pretty tinkling keys add depth and contrast. Growls and choirs are seamlessly interspersed. The intro flares up with blazing guitars on The Lucid Door. Next, Led Astray is fast but not that heavy if you are comparing it with At Sixes And Sevens and An Elixir For Existence.Winterborn 77 has an intro which calls to mind early Nightwish. Ailyn hits some strong notes in her upper register throughout the piece. Enchanting choirs and musical craftsmanship make this an excellent offering.Sirens Of The Seven Seas was one that I had high hopes for. Unfortunately, the chemistry between the male and female just seems awkward to me on this track. This is not the song I would have chosen as a closing number.My biggest gripe is that I cannot always understand the femme vox. I would like to see more variety in the songs offered, but I think Morten fulfilled his promise of giving us an album with elements from all past releases!
Rating – 70/100
Tracklist
- The Path to Decay
- Lost in Life
- The Mind Maelstrom
- The Seventh Summer
- Beyond Life’s Scenery
- The Lucid Door
- Led Astray
- Winterborn 77
- Sirens of the Seven Seas
Line Up
- Ailyn – Vocals
- Morten Veland – Vocals, Guitar & Composer
- Jonathan A. Perez – Drums
- Michael Krumins – Guitar
Links
Style switcher only on this demo version. Theme styles can be changed from Options page.
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