LEAVES EYES albumLEAVES’ EYES
Myths Of Fate

LEAVES’ EYES have been telling exciting and colorful stories in the same way as the ancient Skalds recited the great Sagas to our forefathers for just over twenty years now. Without equal LEAVES’ EYES have always been able to skillfully weave wonderful pictures in your mind’s eye of Gods and Heroes, beautiful sweeping landscapes and stormy seas via epic musical tales full of factual history as well as the stuff of myths and legends.

You always know that you are going to get quality music with a LEAVES’ EYES album, yet with Myths Of Fate they still manage to spring a few nice surprises and bring something a little extra to the Folkmoot table. So, fill up your finest drinking horn with some super strength mead and prepare to be entertained.

Myths Of Fate is choc full of highlights with absolutely no lowlights worth mentioning as LEAVES’ EYES deliver their best album for quite some time. I love the way they blend the harsh male warrior vocals with those beautiful crystal-clear operatic vocals of our shieldmaiden Elina Siirala. Hammer Of The Gods and Forged By Fire are excellent songs with both making good use of this dramatic effect. These songs deliver you straight from the luxury of your armchair directly to the harsh lands of fire and ice where ancient craftsmen honed their weapon making skills and the art of war was a very worthy occupation.

Listening to Myths Of Fate we are taken on a journey back in time, right to the very heart of the dark ages. Beautiful and mythical stories such as Realm Of Dark Waves, In Eternity, Einherjar and the stunning ballad Goddess Of The Night allow LEAVES’ EYES to weave wonderous musical spells using their unique style of symphonic metal and folk metal by way of blending modern and traditional instruments. The music is as brave and bold as the huge waves and the windswept landscapes they depict.

War Horns call the listener to arms in Sons Of Triglav, as fierce warriors sing in unison during this adrenaline-fueled battle anthem which removes all fear of death and invites you to a seat at the high table in one of the great halls of Valhalla. In those ancient wooden halls of Odin Who Wants To Live Forever is not a question you need to ask as your place is assured when you Sail With The Dead on your final journey. The cost: a glorious death and a couple of coins for the ferryman!

Images of the fjords calling the longships home are conjured up by LEAVES’ EYES with compositions like Fear The Serpent where heroes are forced to face down a mighty leviathan in an epic sea battle before returning to their farming homesteads and the slow burning Elder Spirit which contains my favorite guitar solo on the album.

Myths Of Fate is a good solid album which all fans of symphonic or folk metal will thoroughly enjoy, so all you Vikings or want to be Vikings out there should check it out. In my opinion this is LEAVES’ EYES best album of the Elina Siirala era and so I have no hesitation in recommending it. Skål!

Mark Waight