Leaves' Eyes - Sign Of The Dragonhead

Published January 14 2018

*=Staff's pick	Sign Of The Dragonhead Across The Sea* Like A Mountain Jomsborg* Völva Riders On The Wind Fairer Than The Sun Shadows In The Night* Rulers Of Wind And Waves Fires In The North Waves Of Euphoria*

Genre	Symphonic Metal	Elina Siirala	Vocals
Tracks	11	Alexander Krull	Vocals
Running time	47 Min.	Pete Streit	Guitar
Label	AFM Records	Thorsten Bauer	Guitar
Release	January 12, 2018	Thorsten Bauer	Bass
Country	Germany	Joris Nijenhuis	Drums
Producer	Alex Krull, Thorsten Bauer		Keyboards
Similar bands	Nightwish, Xandria

Is there really a need for another album by a symphonic band with operatic vocals, executing the whole "Beauty and the Beast"-thing? If it is as good as this one, and when the beauty is given this much space, I definitely feel it is justified. I was a fan of the band back in the days, when fronted by former vocalist Liv Kristine Espenæs (ex-Theatre Of Tragedy), but I lost them completely along the way as I found them slowly but surely going stale so I am quite surprised to hear how good and fresh I find them today.

What makes Leaves' Eyes of today stand out from many other similar bands in the contemporary scene is the ability to write good and engaging songs and melodies and arrange it all into a dramatic and interesting experience, and all that with somewhat modest and scaled off means.

It is grand and spacious and it feels like we are constantly on the move, following a journey somewhere ahead. A sea ride into battle, if you will, where you almost feel the wind blowing in your hair. They also incorporate quite a bit of celtic and folk melodies on this album which I feel blend in very well and is a vital addition to the whole.

The new vocalist Elina Siirala has a fantastic voice. As far as I understand she is a soprano and has a belcanto style of singing which differs from many similar in the genre by not being overly operatic and dramatic but instead more clean, natural and down to earth.

The downsides to this album are the production, which I find too weak, especially in the guitar area, and the growling vocals by Alexander Krull, which have no real value and lack in power and nuances. The album also loses a tad momentum during the second half but overall it is a good, well crafted and engaging album.