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ALBUM OF THE WEEK-: LEAVES' EYES- THE LAST VIKING

Words by Anselm Anderson

German Symphonic Metallers' Leave's Eyes return with their eighth studio effort The Last Viking, due out on Oct 23rd via AFM Records.

The band's love of Viking sagas and medieval instruments combine to tell the tale of the last battle of  Norway's King Harald III. The concept album chronicles his remaining thoughts, as he lays dying at Stamford Bridge in 1066. The Last Viking finalises a lasting story, made famous in cult albums Vinland (2005) & King of Kings ( 2015).

Leave's Eyes presents 14 songs of intelligent lyrics, bombastic musical passages and lung-busting singing to take you on this history lesson.

Death of Kings is a requiem to the fallen Haraldara ( King Harald), led by the sorrowful Elina Sirala, whilst tribal drums thud  to the lament of husky vocalist Alexander Krull in this beginning to an epic saga,

Chain Of the  Golden Horn is a pulsating Pagan Hymn. This reminds me of early 2000 Nightwish with more pomp. Sirala is the elegant songstress singing with range and melody, accompanied by chugging guitars, violins and Krull's growling timbre joining in on the bridge.

The opus Dark Love Emperess,  an enchanting composition tells the tale of the Viking hero, imprisoned in a Byzantium prison for his refusal to be the lover of the vengeful Zoe. The songwriting improves as the tracks go on. Melodic passages blended with heavy guitars and soprano- like singing delights in a structure to build these stories to a climax. 
 
The album aims to create something different through complex time signatures, intense dynamism, and intricate instrumentation to tell a story not out of place at the local theatre.

War of Kings adds intensity to the music with pulsating rhythm parts, thunderous drums, and aggressive guitar parts, structured around the two vocalists ability to interplay off one another.

For Victory carries on this direction with a Celtic folk flavour, adding spice and variation to the differing styles of the musicians involved. The opening Nyckelharpa salvo feels like a jubilant display of triumph, as the tempo dictates from mid-tempo to breakneck speed. Krull's grunts and Sirala's evolving vocals make this feel like a medieval joust 

The Last Viking is a ten-minute epic that mixes the menacing signatures of heavy metal, with dark atmospherics and the impending end to this saga. The medieval instruments add an ominous sense of doom, which left me with goosebumps. 

The Last Viking is an intriguing journey through, drama, style, and incredible compositions to leave listeners aghast.


Leave's Eyes The Last Viking will be released via AFM Records on October 23rd


Produced by Alexander Krull at Mastersound Studios

Tracklisting
1. Death of a King
2.Chain of the Golden Horn
3. Dark Love Empress
4.Serpents and Dragons
5. Black Butterfly Ft Clementine Delauney *
6. War Of Kings
07. For Victory
08. Two Kings One Realm
09. Flames In The Sky
10. Serkland*
11. Varangians
12. Night Of The Ravens*
13. The Last Viking
14. Break Into The Sky Of Aeon


* Album Version


Leave's Eyes are;


Elina Sirala- Vocals


Alexander Krull (Vocals),


Thorsten Bauer (Guitar, Bass),

Micki Richter (Guitar),

Joris Nijenhuis (Drums)





Social Media Accounts
Website/Facebook/Twitter

Video to " Chain of a Golden Horn"

Video to " Dark Love Empress"

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