Leaves Eyes - Meredead
Napalm Records
Symphonic Folk Metal
13 songs (59:47)
Release year: 2011
Leaves Eyes, Napalm Records
Reviewed by Cory

Leaves' Eyes should be no stranger to the average metal enthusiast at this point in their career. What began as Liv Kristine's rebound band after being unceremoniously removed from Theatre of Tragedy has evolved into a headlining act with a respectable back catalogue and diligent fan base, myself being one of them. While not quite on the level of insane popularity as Nightwish, Leaves' Eyes makes a compelling argument for being considered a top tier group in their genre with each release, and Meredead is certainly no exception.

Following 2009’s commercially successful Njord, Meredead presents a more balanced listening experience than previous works. Where Vinland Saga and the self-titled debut had a somewhat uneven mix of pop melodies with more orchestrated song structure, and Njord leaned more heavily in favor of the commercial pop structure, Meredead strikes a nice balance between the two that settles nicely on the listener’s ears. This element lends a longer shelf life to the album, as I can see myself returning to Meredead for some time to come.

The individual songs all hover around the good to great mark. Opener Spirits Masquerade caught my attention right away with a somber atmosphere carried by a military styled cadence. Liv Kristine sounds wonderful, conveying emotion in each word, and the song is just a dynamic tune that makes you consider hitting repeat. Etain took a while to grow on me, but once I researched the lyrics and understood the context, the song became one of my favorites on the album. Meredead as a whole has an excellent lyrical quality that warrants more than a few trips to Wikipedia, which I think has become less common in the metal genre of late. Unfortunately Velvet Heart delves a bit too much into pop tendencies for my liking, and while it is a decent tune they have done better in the past using the same formula. Krakevisa is a great song based on Norwegian traditional folklore (and predominately sung in that dialect) that puts things back on track. To France is a decent track on first listen, but when I learned it was a cover I checked out the original and found it to be a great tune in its original form that made me appreciate the Leaves' Eyes version more, and I feel they did it justice. All that said, my personal favorite track is Empty Horizion. This duet between Liv and her husband Alexander is hauntingly beautiful, conveying a tale of lost love and distance that is both sad and uplifting at the same time. Despite a simple song structure, it is fleshed out to the point that it sounds much fuller and rich than you might believe at first glance.

Meredead is Leaves' Eyes finest album to date. Those that were not drawn to their previous albums may find something more to enjoy here, and fans should purchase this without hesitation. There is a quality to Leaves' Eyes in both their lyrical content and their songwriting that continues to separate them from the female fronted masses, and Meredead proves they are only getting better with time and experience.

Killing Songs :
Spirits Masquerade, Etain, and Empty Horizon.
Cory quoted 86 / 100
Other albums by Leaves Eyes that we have reviewed:
Leaves Eyes - Symphonies of the Night reviewed by Andy and quoted 84 / 100
Leaves Eyes - Njord reviewed by Khelek and quoted 87 / 100
Leaves Eyes - Vinland Saga reviewed by Ian and quoted 84 / 100
Leaves Eyes - Lovelorn reviewed by Jack and quoted 85 / 100
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