Merely a year after the release of Lovelorn, Liv Kristine Espenaes Krulls first full-length collaboration with Atrocity, under the name Leaves Eyes, finds her crafting another powerful and romantic tapestry of myth and metal. Whispering, serenading, weaving spells and soaring high and true, Liv Kristines incredibly versatile voice, more than any other thread of Leaves Eyes sound, reveals the emotional range explored throughout Vinland Saga. The music follows her lead; its driving metal tide fusing with classical currents and traditional melodies to keep pace with both the Viking story and its teller. Shifts in mood and atmosphere parallel the twists and turns in the multilingual lyrics, at times backing off to leave only the barest traces of instrumental support, and at others weaving in the speech or grunts of Alex Krull to complete the incantation. Less goth or electronic than Liv Kristines work with Theatre of Tragedy, songs like "Solemn Sea act as a reminder of the Atrocity part of the equation, while others, particularly the eponymous "Leaves Eyes, explore the full range of romanticism that characterises the bands sound. Vinland Saga demonstrates a more developed Leaves Eyes, and the album does justice to both its epic inspiration and that inimitable voice.
Why base your latest album on a Viking story?>/b> Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull: After we composed about eight or nine songs for the album, I started concentrating on the concept and the lyrics. I just let myself get inspired by the music itself, and what I felt when listening to the music was "ocean, "brave Vikings in long ships, "adventure, and "the west coast of Norway (where I grew up). Then the Vinland Sagas stories from the Viking age, describing their journeys to and experience in America entered my mind, and this is the historical frame of the album. The Vinland Saga begins at the west coast of Norway about 1,000 years ago, as a group of ships sailed towards Greenland to visit Eirikssons father, Eirik the Red. Due to bad weather they passed Greenland and ended up discovering America instead. I found out through reading about a man among Eiriksons crew called Tyrkir the German. A great parallel to my own life! My husband is a German too, and I had the idea (the only fictional part of the concept) of Tyrkir leaving his wife in Norway, and to create a romantic love story. You can say Vinland Saga is a mixture of historical facts, mysticism and my own life.
(Napalm)Why base your latest album on a Viking story?>/b> Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull: After we composed about eight or nine songs for the album, I started concentrating on the concept and the lyrics. I just let myself get inspired by the music itself, and what I felt when listening to the music was "ocean, "brave Vikings in long ships, "adventure, and "the west coast of Norway (where I grew up). Then the Vinland Sagas stories from the Viking age, describing their journeys to and experience in America entered my mind, and this is the historical frame of the album. The Vinland Saga begins at the west coast of Norway about 1,000 years ago, as a group of ships sailed towards Greenland to visit Eirikssons father, Eirik the Red. Due to bad weather they passed Greenland and ended up discovering America instead. I found out through reading about a man among Eiriksons crew called Tyrkir the German. A great parallel to my own life! My husband is a German too, and I had the idea (the only fictional part of the concept) of Tyrkir leaving his wife in Norway, and to create a romantic love story. You can say Vinland Saga is a mixture of historical facts, mysticism and my own life.