Vervain

Liv Kristine is a name that to many of this site, does not need an introduction, from the pioneering Theatre of Tragedy to her band Leave's Eyes. Vervain marks her fifth solo release, with her husband Alexander Krull(Leaves Eyes, Atrocity) lending musical and engineering duties. The immediate somewhat pop meets gothic rock/metal feel can be heard in the opening track, My Wilderness. I always thought of her tone to be one of the most unique within her given genres, to some it sounds thin, but the atmosphere she gives is almost ethereal in feel. The first single, the truly gothic(and one of the best gothic rock songs I have heard in a long time) Love Decay featuring Michelle Darkness of the German band End of Green. You can watch the video here, and to me Darkness's vocals really give the song an added touch it really needed. Another duet can be heard on the song, Stronghold Of Angels with Doro Pesch. Their contrasting vocals definitely gives the song a strength not heard on other songs, other than Love Decay.

A nice use a dynamics can be heard on the title track as well Hunters. Though the latter is the weaker of two in my opinion. Speaking of my earlier feelings of Kristine's ethereal vocals, the beautiful yet haunting Lotus expresses that. A basic accompanying piano melody in the background with her vocals leading the way for half of the song. The drums followed by strings and the rest of the band, allow the song to reach its climax before it finds itself back where it started. The guitar solo caught me by surprise, since there are not a lot of them on this disc, but is one damn good solo. The gothic rocking Elucidation follows, and is a solid rocker in its own right. The last three tracks, Two And A Heart, and Oblivious all have a haunting feeling to them. They are also slower paced songs, with the first one having my favorite chorus and guitar work of the three. Creeper features Kristine using her voice to add a dynamic/effect that gives the song eerily feeling. While the album closer Oblivious brings back the previously mentioned ethereal feel to her vocals.

I have heard a few of Liv Kristine's earlier releases, and I believe this is the best one yet. I have been a casual fan of her previous bands, owning a few cds here and there, but I enjoyed what I heard here. A solid release from one Europe's most original sounding voices.