World
history set
to music,
seasoned
with
legends,
love and
passion – no
less could
be said
about the
second
Leaves’ Eyes
album
Vinland
Saga.
Vocalist Liv
Kristine and
Co. (a.k.a
Atrocity)
embark on a
mystic
journey.
Leif
Erikson’s
legendary
voyage to
Greenland in
1000 A.D.,
which
consequently
ended in
America
according
most
historians,
is depicted
by Leaves’
Eyes through
atmospheric
Metal, Rock
and sensual
ballads. It
is a story
marked by
powerful
riffs,
melody and
string
arrangements,
which
represent a
colorful
bandwidth of
musical
styles,
truly
adequate to
the very
concept of
the album
itself and
never
concealing
the Nordic
origins of
the singer.
“I found my
inspiration
for many of
the pieces
in the
Norwegian
art and folk
music, as
well as in
Celtic
melodies,”
explains Liv
Kristine.
She knew
from the
very
beginning
that a
special
approach was
needed for
such an
ambitious
musical
enterprise:
“I
absolutely
wanted to
work with
actual
classical
instruments
for Vinland
Saga to do
this great
story
justice.”
Classic rock compositions ensnared in strings and kettledrums, loving flowing harmonies, and hammering metal arrangements, can all be found on Vinland Saga. In the midst of it all stands Liv Kristine with her unique vocals, made recognizable from her past work with Theatre of Tragedy, skillfully navigating through the story. The will to create something great in a musical sense does not take a back seat in the ubiquitous epic Vinland Saga. “In comparison to the debut Lovelorn (2004), the harmonies of the guitars, violins and chellos are notably more complex,” explains Liv and adds that the recordings took approximately twice as much time to complete: “The mood of both albums is very comparable however. Vinland Saga is a further development of Lovelorn where both sides of the band’s music were upgraded – the hard parts are now harder and the sentimental parts are more sentimental.”
Thus one can expect to find such soft, folk-oriented pieces as the introductory title song, the wonderful “Mourning Tree” or “Leaves’ Eyes” (“When one names a song after one’s own band, it’s logical that it should include all of the significant characteristics.”), as well as wild Gothic Metal tracks like “Farwell Proud Men”, “The Thorn”, or “Solemn Sea”, in which one can almost see the spray of seawater gushing out of the speakers. Vinland Saga tells of a crew member on Erikson’s ship and his longing for the woman who awaits his return to Norway,” explains the singer. “The medium between the two is the Tree of Life. It’s a story of love but also of mysticism”. For the song “Amhrán”, belonging amongst the most intensive musical experiences of the album, the singer went as far as developing her very own language (in the good tradition of the Lord of the Rings trilogy). The result is a unique world of experience within which one can distinguish influences ranging from Kate Bush, past Clannad and even Atrocity, “yet still always sounding like Leaves’ Eyes,” as Liv stresses.
The passionate commitment with which she and husband Alexander Krull (Atrocity frontman and producer in his own Mastersound Studio) invested in driving the Vinland Saga concept forth cannot be overlooked. Taken prisoner by the atmosphere, one is led through an intriguing musical voyage of times long gone, encountering fascinating musicality and an exceptional story that to some extent draws parallel’s from Liv Kristine’s own life experiences. Ever since the birth of her son Leon, born only hours following the completion of the debut album, she has felt an even stronger bond with nature and her homeland Norway. “In Leon, I see both Alex’s and myself,” explains Liv Kristine, who seems to bloom both in her private role as a mother as well as the professional, musical one. “That is in equal parts fascinating and inspiring. On Vinland Saga, the Norwegian culture, nature, history and a love for my homeland play an important role. My homesickness has grown somewhat stronger in the last two years,” explains the Norwegian, whose adaptability draws no comparison on the European rock scene, on as well as off stage. “During our fall and winter tour 2004 we received an unbelievable response from our audience. After that, we went straight into the studio, in order to capture this vibe. It was a very productive, very industrious time – at times Alex and I forgot that a private life binds us. But we were ‘brought back to earth’ at the latest when driving home. We switched on the classical music station and allowed Leon to make us smile.”
The Vinland Saga is not only legendary thanks to the Icelandic writer who recorded the story in the 12th century. Thanks to Leaves’ Eyes it now has a secured spot in the heart of the music scene. History gone rock! Nature, romance, love, and lyrical poetry presented by one of the most beautiful voices on the European rock scene. Welcome to the dreamlike world of Leaves’ Eyes!
Classic rock compositions ensnared in strings and kettledrums, loving flowing harmonies, and hammering metal arrangements, can all be found on Vinland Saga. In the midst of it all stands Liv Kristine with her unique vocals, made recognizable from her past work with Theatre of Tragedy, skillfully navigating through the story. The will to create something great in a musical sense does not take a back seat in the ubiquitous epic Vinland Saga. “In comparison to the debut Lovelorn (2004), the harmonies of the guitars, violins and chellos are notably more complex,” explains Liv and adds that the recordings took approximately twice as much time to complete: “The mood of both albums is very comparable however. Vinland Saga is a further development of Lovelorn where both sides of the band’s music were upgraded – the hard parts are now harder and the sentimental parts are more sentimental.”
Thus one can expect to find such soft, folk-oriented pieces as the introductory title song, the wonderful “Mourning Tree” or “Leaves’ Eyes” (“When one names a song after one’s own band, it’s logical that it should include all of the significant characteristics.”), as well as wild Gothic Metal tracks like “Farwell Proud Men”, “The Thorn”, or “Solemn Sea”, in which one can almost see the spray of seawater gushing out of the speakers. Vinland Saga tells of a crew member on Erikson’s ship and his longing for the woman who awaits his return to Norway,” explains the singer. “The medium between the two is the Tree of Life. It’s a story of love but also of mysticism”. For the song “Amhrán”, belonging amongst the most intensive musical experiences of the album, the singer went as far as developing her very own language (in the good tradition of the Lord of the Rings trilogy). The result is a unique world of experience within which one can distinguish influences ranging from Kate Bush, past Clannad and even Atrocity, “yet still always sounding like Leaves’ Eyes,” as Liv stresses.
The passionate commitment with which she and husband Alexander Krull (Atrocity frontman and producer in his own Mastersound Studio) invested in driving the Vinland Saga concept forth cannot be overlooked. Taken prisoner by the atmosphere, one is led through an intriguing musical voyage of times long gone, encountering fascinating musicality and an exceptional story that to some extent draws parallel’s from Liv Kristine’s own life experiences. Ever since the birth of her son Leon, born only hours following the completion of the debut album, she has felt an even stronger bond with nature and her homeland Norway. “In Leon, I see both Alex’s and myself,” explains Liv Kristine, who seems to bloom both in her private role as a mother as well as the professional, musical one. “That is in equal parts fascinating and inspiring. On Vinland Saga, the Norwegian culture, nature, history and a love for my homeland play an important role. My homesickness has grown somewhat stronger in the last two years,” explains the Norwegian, whose adaptability draws no comparison on the European rock scene, on as well as off stage. “During our fall and winter tour 2004 we received an unbelievable response from our audience. After that, we went straight into the studio, in order to capture this vibe. It was a very productive, very industrious time – at times Alex and I forgot that a private life binds us. But we were ‘brought back to earth’ at the latest when driving home. We switched on the classical music station and allowed Leon to make us smile.”
The Vinland Saga is not only legendary thanks to the Icelandic writer who recorded the story in the 12th century. Thanks to Leaves’ Eyes it now has a secured spot in the heart of the music scene. History gone rock! Nature, romance, love, and lyrical poetry presented by one of the most beautiful voices on the European rock scene. Welcome to the dreamlike world of Leaves’ Eyes!