Sirenia

The revolving door that ushers vocalists in and out of Sirenia has swung round again, and Nine Destinies and a Downfall reveals a band fresh from a minor facelift. New singer Monika Pedersen is more Gathering than Nightwish (a wonderful thing) and her approach carries Sirenia closer to Lacuna Coil-style goth metal. It works well, at least until the choirs burst in like a misplaced heavenly chorus. In some songs, Sirenia seem to be leaning away from the somewhat tired neoclassical template, supporting Pedersen’s charismatic voice with strong melodies, heavy groove and a remnant of extreme metal growls, although there’s a sense of sameness even to some of this material. At other moments, the band cling to their choral and orchestral origins beyond the point of usefulness. Maybe now some major cosmetic surgery is in order.