Search - Leaves' Eyes :: Lovelorn

Leaves' Eyes is without equal

fanliorel | SD | 01/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I purchased this album about 9 months ago, but it is easily the second most favorite disc in my collection, coming in second only to Vinland Saga, Leaves' next release after Lovelorn. I'd say this album isn't quite as finely crafted as Vinland Saga (speaking from a production standpoint), but that's hardly unique in the world of music. No one in the group was a newcomer to the industry with Lovelorn of course, but freshman efforts are often a little less finely tuned as the band discovers who they are, and what their musical contribution to the world will be. I only say this to explain why I think Vinland Saga is a little better; it does not detract from this 5-star album one iota.



A problem I have reviewing an album like this is that I always listen to it as a whole. Even though I've listened to it through, I hardly know any of the correct track names - Leaves' Eyes are one of those rare groups that actually make albums that are greater than the sum of their parts (i.e. even if there are some fantastic individual tracks, the sheer quality of the overall work exceeds them). "Ocean's Way" is one of my favorite songs, and the dichotomy between the voices of Alex and Liv is stunning. It, along with "tale of the sea maid" really energizes me, much like the tracks "Solemn Sea" and "The Thorn" on Vinland Saga do. Tracks "Lovelorn" "The Dream" and "For Amelie" are simply stunning in their simplistic beauty. There is no song on this album that I don't love, even though they really run the gambit from serene to energetic.



When I reviewed Vinland Saga, I hadn't listened to this genre of music enough to realize what a gem I had found. I stated 3 main complaints, which I'll echo here so as to refute myself, as it were. One was the presence of "death growls" even in limited form. However, I now realize that Alex's contribution are not just tolerable, but are necessary. They are utilized sparingly (3 tracks on this album, and 3 on vinland saga), and they specifically contrast against Liv's voice to create impressions upon the listener. When I hear them together on a track, I can almost imagine myself listening to a tale. It's a tale as told by Kristine, but with emphatic interjections from Alex, which combined have the listener whipping his or her head back and forth from one to the other, just waiting for more. In all, I now fully appreciate the male vocals in all of Leaves' Eyes work. Seeing them in concert made this all the more obvious, as I was truly shifting back and forth between their two vocal "perspectives." And what chemistry those two have!



Another criticism was Liv's part being made too "overtly operatic." However, I now realize that this is not the case at all. Liv's range is huge, and far be it from me to say she shouldn't be singing so high when it's filled with such passion. Her voice is what it is, and what it is, is beautiful ;) [As an aside though: let me here say that this band is by no means all about the lead vocals. After listening to Liv's work on Theatre of Tragedy, I realize that the whole package that Leaves delivers is what makes them great. The musical craftmanship is unparalleled, thanks mostly to the production work of Alex.]



My last criticism was that the songs simply end too abruptly. I still get a little annoyed by this, as the last note of almost every song sounds similar. But this is hardly something to be overly critical about. Besides, the quicker the ending is, the faster we get on to the next amazing track!



I've listened to or purchased albums by many groups in this genre, and having done so, it's a mystery to me how Leaves' Eyes isn't considered the pinnacle of female-fronted european goth metal. This is not to say that I don't love Lacuna Coil, Within Temptation, Nightwish, or that I don't enjoy some of the other (what I would consider) "lesser" groups of this ilk such as Darkwell, Edenbridge, Visions of Atlantis, Collide, Xandria, Elis, et al. But it's my honest opinion that Leaves' Eyes is on a whole different plane. I guess all you can do is find out for yourself."

An Awesome Suprise!

GothicPoison79 | Modesto, CA | 01/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this album after checking out some of the previous comments about it and thought I would give it a shot. This was the first album by Leaves' Eyes that I had bought and I love it. I don't know how many times I've listened to it, but I haven't got tired of it. My favorite song was Temptation. I know I'll be purchasing more of their work!"