One of the more polarizing bands in recent history has been Leaves’ Eyes, and the reasons have been many for such a thing.  Whether it is because of the idea of a female-fronted metal band causes some stomach churning, or personal feelings, good or bad, towards lead vocalist Liv Kristine Espan?s-Krull, or any other reason one can think of, Leaves’ Eyes continues on their own path.  A new album in Meredead sees the band going in a slightly different direction from their previous efforts, to a fair amount of success.

One of the first things that Meredead does is knock off the pop metal sound that was prevalent on Njord, something that wasn’t as bad as people made it out to be.  Instead, Meredead relies more on a subtle, yet noticeable folk direction while maintaining the characteristic symphonic sound.  This is most evident on “Sigrlinn,” “Nystev,” and “Étaín,” and because of the slight shift in styles, it almost makes the listener double check to make sure that they’re listening to Leaves’ Eyes.  The overall vocal responsibilities are less on Alex Krull here than on previous albums, meaning that Liv Kristine handles more of the vocal duties than usual this time around.  This is actually a good thing, as it improves the overall dynamic of the Leaves’ Eyes sound and allows for the true beauty on the album to shine brighter, as “Nystev” proves.  Another highlight on the album is the more traditional folk sounding “Tell-Tale Eyes,” which features a distinct Irish sound, from the music to the clean male vocals that accompany Liv Kristine’s.  There are still some pop metal elements here and there, as “To France” indicates, but it isn’t nearly as overpowering on Meredead as it has been in the past.  In truth, this is likely the best album that Leaves’ Eyes has put out, and I’ve actually enjoyed all of their albums to some degree.

Say what you will about Leaves’ Eyes, but there’s no denying that they make music that will have people talking, for better or for worse.  Meredead is the band’s most accomplished album yet, and there is still room to grow.  A pleasant surprise in every sense of the word, Leaves’ Eyes is here, whether you like it or not.

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*Comments:

1.  Spirit’s Masquerade
2.  Étaín
3.  Velvet Heart
4.  Kråkevisa
5.  To France
6.  Meredead
7.  Sigrlinn
8.  Mine Tåror er ei Grimme
9.  Empty Horizon
10.  Veritas
11.  Nystev
12.  Tell-Tale Eyes

Total playing time:  54:42

Release Date: April 22, 2011
Label: Napalm Records

Leaves’ Eyes - Meredead

Reviewer: Peter

March 30, 2011