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Myths Of Fate

    
       
       
       
     
             
Leaves' Eyes are a symphonic metal band based in Germany formed in 2003 releasing nine studio albums - the bands ninth 'Myths Of Fate' emerging in 2024...    
             
...featuring the bands eclectic mix of symphonic, folk, and traditional metal with classical music to create a hard hitting and captivating soundscape that grabs listeners attentions and never lets go! Founded by vocalist, keyboardist, and songwriter Alexander Krull (Atrocity) and (original band singer) Liv Kristine (ex Theatre Of Tragedy), Leaves' Eyes line-up now features (Kristine's successor) Elina Siirala (Angel Nation), drummer Joris Nijenhuis, bass player Andrea Nasso, and guitarists Micki Richter and Luc Gebhardt. Lyrically, the band have always centred their efforts around Norse mythology and the Viking ages, 'Myths Of Fate' delving deeper into Norse and Eastern European mythology - and musically, Leaves' Eyes deliver an enchanting and colossal storytelling ambience, featuring amazing orchestral intricacies, and soaring, faultless vocals from Elina with occasional complementary harsh ones courtesy of Alexander.    
             
Standing proudly at the forefront of the symphonic metal genre, Leaves' Eyes share territory with the likes of Nightwish, Epica, Xandria and Delain as the genres leading lights - 'Myths Of Fate' pushing the band further to the front! The new album, featuring eleven songs across fifty minutes, sets sail with the elegant and sweeping 'Forged By Fire' - adopting a swashbuckling mid tempo march of the most majestic nature you could ever imagine! The soaring vocals of Elina are magical, the harsh ones of Alexander deep and gut wrenching, the music of 'Forged By Fire' oozing a haunting, almost Gothic feel, sending shivers down spines all the way to the bottom! What a jaw dropping opening gambit, 'Realm Of Dark Waves' keeping listeners mouths wide open with even more elegance than 'Forged By Fire'. And at a quicker pace too, for all of the first fifty seconds - Leaves' Eyes moving skyward to soar with the angels high above the clouds! Just how elegant, majestic and regal can the band get? Lots more I'd imagine, for there's no top-out level, no upper limit to restrain the bands musical advances, just uncharted territory waiting to be conquered!    
             
And conquering Leaves' Eyes are doing with total aplomb, the album moving effortlessly forward with the hardest hitting song heard so far 'Who Wants To Live Forever' - a hustling, bustling nature descending upon the album to blend seamlessly with the bands symphonic metal roots. And I've got to mention the sensational vocals of Elina once more, the singing soprano from Finland delivering absolute perfection - the entire band performing at the peak of their collective prowess! And with a title of 'Hammer Of The Gods' raising my expectation levels to maximum for a mighty anthemic hymn-like swagger - I wouldn't be far wrong either! The mix of female and male vocals is striking here, both Elina and Alexander adding weight to 'Hammer Of The Gods's already weighty atmosphere of awe and wonder - awe and wonder which is simply increasing minute by minute, song by song! And I'll openly admit right here and now that symphonic metal had never really been "my thing" across four decades of listening to metal, much preferring the all out pace and head bang ability of thrash, power, and traditional heavy metal - but just like wine, whisky and cheese, I've matured with age! And so has my taste in metal music - 'In Eternity' taking a stealthy stroll through balladry. At first! And then 'In Eternity' becomes heavier, much heavier, quickly assuming anthemic status with one helluva chanting chorus break - I bet an in concert crowd are gonna go fucking mental for this one! Come on everyone, all together now "whoa-whoa-whoa-oh, whoa-whoa-whoa-oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh, oh" - and repeat!    
             
At the rate I'm going, I'm gonna run out of superlatives before my review is finished - excuse me for a moment while I go find my Thesaurus! Right, I'm back, let's carry on, 'Fear The Serpent' takes flight adopting a mighty melodic metal approach, taking in the scenery through the epic and glory genres of metal as it soars gracefully like an eagle! And again the contrasting vocal styles of the bands two singers is just immense, Leaves' Eyes presenting a whole new sound for me to get my teeth into - and boy am I chomping away like a lion devouring its prey! That's "hungrily" for anyone who didn't get my metaphor - my appetite for more increasing with every second that goes by, 'Goddess Of The Night' a sublime stroll through a dream-like state where angles circle high above, waving arms and wearing exuberant smiles! The mellow meander of 'Goddess Of The Night' has me gazing off into the distance listening intently to Elina's intoxicating voice and feeling all fuzzy and warm inside, totally forgetting I'm right in the middle of writing a review! Fuck me Iron Mathew, get a grip! A grip on reality that is - save the daydreaming for later! 'Sons Of Triglav' sees, or rather hears, Alexander take the lead singer role, his harsh growling snarl more associated with death metal - yet fitting like a glove right into symphonic metal. And even though growled vocals lead the way, 'Sons Of Triglav' is by no means "out of place", the musical backdrop remaining firmly and squarely in symphonic metal territory!    
             
Everything Leaves' Eyes do is magical, 'Myths Of Fate' transporting listeners into a "magic circle" where for fifty minutes the band deliver a spellbinding aural eargasm of fantastical, mythical and enchanting adventures (or songs as they're more commonly known) - the album moving on with elegant ease courtesy of the serenity fuelled 'Elder Spirit'. And a heavenly hymn-like aura rises high in the air, followed closely by a hard edged melodic march that stops 'Elder Spirit' from falling headlong into ballad territory - the band throwing every ounce of their epic and glory nature at every listener everywhere. Listeners, who are loving every moment of 'Myths Of Fate', are gonna love to hear there's still two more songs to go, for this is one glorious album that you don't ever want to come to an end! And it won't if you have it on constant repeat - 'Einherjar' chiming in as the longest song on offer, and the only one to stretch past the five minute mark! Leaves' Eyes are the epitome of symphonic metal, melding the likes of power, traditional, folk, and Viking metal into one captivating wall of sound, 'Einherjar' displaying all these traits to perfection. How can anyone not like this style of metal (and that's a rhetorical question by the way), it's simply divine! 'Myths Of Fate' ends the same way as it began - a swashbuckling mid tempo swagger commanding the airways as 'Sail With The Dead' marches on with just as much melodious intent as everything else on offer. Have Leaves' Eyes just delivered an Album Of The Year contender? It'd be a great big fucking absurdity if 'Myths Of Fate' wasn't in the running come the end of the year!    
             
Overall, a sumptuous symphonic metal extravaganza, 'Myths Of Fate' is a captivating and immensely infectious album of pure excellence.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
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