LEAVES’ EYES – Sign Of The Dragonhead

Leaves’ Eyes without founder, voice, and lyricist Liv Kristine? Kristine split up with the band and husband Alex Krull, Leaves’ Eyes’ keyboardist and the “beast” in their “beauty and the beast” vocal style a few years ago; losing a band-defining voice like Kristine’s presents a creative problem that has been the start of a downward spiral for many bands. Sign Of The Dragonhead is the first full album to feature her replacement in the band, Elina Siirala of Angel Nation (EnkElination), following the 2016 EP Fires In The North. Two tracks into Sign and it is clear that there will be no downward spiral; if anything, Sign represents an elevation in Leaves’ Eyes already impressive creative output. This elevation has more to do with the changes in musical direction than they do with the shift in singers.

Siirala’s voice, like Kristine’s, is beautiful and well-suited for the epic Symphonic Metal stylings of the band, but it is the complete musical package that hits the listener as opposed to the individual elements. Leaves’ Eyes combine their precise, hard-hitting musicianship with the London Voices soundtrack choir and traditional instruments such as Medieval nyckelharpa, fiddles, uilleann pipes and whistles. The resultant sound is unconventional even by Symphonic Metal standards; the blend of voices and folk instruments helps the music achieve a sound that it is more grounded and earthy than over the top and bombastic. The opening title cut and follow-up “Across The Sea”, both rousing fight songs, effectively set the tone for the exciting album that follows, surely a bright new chapter in Leaves’ Eyes already compelling story.

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