It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that Leaves’ Eyes released their last album Meredead, but they’re already raring to go with their fifth studio album Symphonies Of The Night. Admittedly, Leaves’ Eyes have never been a band that have quite grabbed my attention, as previous releases of theirs haven’t been that memorable for me, but this has all changed with Symphonies Of The Night, which is a great mix of songs that really highlights the talent within this band.
After a wonderfully fast-paced opener, things really get going with second track Fading Earth that features a huge and catchy introduction before the vocals set in. You can really appreciate the power behind frontwoman Liv’s voice and it sits perfectly atop of the instrumentation. It’s a great track as a whole, with a fantastic guitar solo to boot, and really gives the album some momentum.
However, the absolute standout track of the album has to be Galswintha, which has a massive folk vibe to it from start to finish and it’s something you can listen to on a loop and seemingly never get bored of. It’s musically a little different from the rest of the songs, so it’s quite a brave inclusion but it really paid off because it stands out from the crowd in the best possible way. It’s got a great driving beat to it in particular and really helps the track to get stuck in your head!
Although the penultimate track Nightshade is quite lacklustre and slow-paced, with nothing standing out about it, Symphonies Of The Night ends on a high with closer Ophelia, with one last burst of energy to round it all up. The harsh vocals from Alexander work especially well on this one and it ends the album on a very satisfying note.
Symphonies Of The Night is easily Leaves’ Eyes best album to date and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being able to take back my previous opinion of Leaves’ Eyes just being ‘okay’. Now bring on the UK tour!
8/10
