Leaves' Eyes

The latest from Leaves' Eyes is very much what you would expect from a release titled Symphonies of the Night. The record is narrative-heavy and driven by the mostly operatic vocals of frontwoman Liv Kristine, this time telling the (often tragic) tales of various powerful women from history and myth. Although the overall aesthetic changes little throughout the album — symphonic metal dominates — each song evokes a slightly different mood to better convey each story. Orchestral arrangements, traditional folk instrumentation, death metal grunts, and even dark synth-rock blend in ever-shifting patterns, all woven around a melodic metal framework provided by members of Atrocity, who play backing band on the album. Symphonies of the Night is very dramatic, sometimes melodramatic and often catchy, and although it might not win over any sceptics, it's likely to satisfy fans of the band and the subgenre.