Meredead is the fourth studio album by the German/Norwegian symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes. It was released on 22 April 2011 on Napalm Records. The Deluxe Edition of the album contains a bonus DVD with five songs from a live performance recorded at the Metal Female Voices Fest, in Wieze, Belgium, on 24 October 2010.
| Meredead | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art by Stefan Heilemann | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 22 April 2011 | |||
| Recorded | Mastersound Studios, Steinheim, Germany, 2010-2011 | |||
| Genre | Symphonic metal | |||
| Length | 55:16 | |||
| Language | English, Nynorsk | |||
| Label | Napalm | |||
| Producer | Alexander Krull | |||
| Leaves' Eyes chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metal Storm | (very favorable)[1] |
| About.com |   [2] |
| Metal Underground |  [3] |
| Femme Metal | (95/100)[4] |
| Metal Temple | [5] |
| Rockfreaks.net | (7/10)[6] |
Background
editThe title is inspired[7] by the Old English compound noun meredēað, literally "sea-death", which is attested (in the genitive plural meredēaða) in the passage rodor swipode meredēaða mǣst, literally: "the greatest quantity of sea-deaths scourged the skies", in Exodus, the second poem of the Junius manuscript, in the section telling the story of the Crossing of the Red Sea.[8] Alternatively, meredēað could be translated as "sea of death" or "deadly sea" in view of a later passage in the same text: meredēað geswealh, literally "sea-death swallowed".[9] On her website, Liv Kristine explicitly recommends Marsden 2004, and quotes the explanation for meredēað given in the book, saying that Meredead could be translated as "dead by the sea".[7]
Produced by Alexander Krull, the album blends the folk elements from earlier works to shape Meredead's atmospheric tone. The opening track, "Spirits' Masquerade," incorporates folk instrumentation, enriching the album’s diverse sound. Tracks like Étaín and Sigrlinn lyrically evoke the mysticism of ancient cultures, featuring uilleann pipes to enhance their thematic depth. The album also includes more traditional songs, such as Nystev and Kråkevisa; the latter employs the Scandinavian nyckelharpa, or keyed fiddle. A cover of To France reinterprets the tragedy and emotion of Mike Oldfield's classic. Supporting vocals and instrumentation on the album are provided by Maite Itoiz and John Kelly (Elfenthal), Carmen Espenæs, the Norwegian Anette Guldbrandsen, and Victor Smolski's Lingua Mortis Orchestra.
Track lists
editAll lyrics are written by Liv Kristine Espenæs; all music is composed by Alexander Krull and Thorsten Bauer, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Spirits' Masquerade" | 6:31 | |
| 2. | "Étaín" | 3:58 | |
| 3. | "Velvet Heart" | 3:42 | |
| 4. | "Kråkevisa" ("Crow's Ballad") | traditional | 4:34 |
| 5. | "To France" (Mike Oldfield cover) | Mike Oldfield | 4:37 |
| 6. | "Meredead" ("The Deadly Sea") | 5:19 | |
| 7. | "Sigrlinn" | 8:47 | |
| 8. | "Mine tåror er ei grimme" ("My Tears Are Not Hideous") | 2:54 | |
| 9. | "Empty Horizon" | 4:58 | |
| 10. | "Veritas" ("Truth") | 0:48 | |
| 11. | "Nystev" ("New Stave") | traditional | 4:39 |
| 12. | "Tell-Tale Eyes" | 3:58 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Sorhleod" ("Song of Sorrow") | 5:04 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Melusine" | 3:34 | |
| 15. | "Legend Land" (acoustic) | Espenæs, Krull, Bauer, Chris Lukhaup, Mathias Röderer. | 3:46 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Njord" | |
| 2. | "My Destiny" | |
| 3. | "Ragnarok" | |
| 4. | "Elegy" | |
| 5. | "Frøya's Theme" |
Personnel
editLeaves' Eyes
edit- Liv Kristine Espenæs – lead and backing vocals
- Alexander Krull – harsh vocals, keyboards, programming, samples
- Thorsten Bauer – guitars, bass, mandolin on tracks 1, 5 and 12
- Sander van der Meer - guitars
- Roland Navratil - drums, percussions
Additional musicians
edit- Lingua Mortis Orchestra from Minsk, Belarus, directed by Victor Smolski
- Al dente Choir from Kleinbottwar, Germany, directed by Veronika Messmer
- Anette Guldbrandsen - backing vocals, lead vocals on tracks 4, 8, 10, 11
- Carmen Elise Espenæs - lead and backing vocals on track 7
- Maite Itoiz - lead and backing vocals on tracks 2 and 6, baroque guitar on track 12
- John Kelly - lead vocals on track 12
- Christian Roch - Uilleann pipes and whistles
- Janna Kirchhof - fiddle on tracks 2, 3 and 11, nyckelharpa on track 4
Production
edit- Alexander Krull - producer, engineer, mixing and mastering at Mastersound Studios
- Thorsten Bauer, Liv Kristine Espenæs - assistant engineers
- Victor Smolski - orchestra recording engineer
- Orchestral arrangements by Leaves' Eyes
Charts
edit| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums Chart[10] | 32 |
| Ultratop Belgian Chart (Flanders)[11] | 97 |
| UK Indie Chart[12] | 37 |
| US Top Heatseekers[13] | 37 |
| US Independent Albums[12] | 134 |
References
edit- ↑ "Leaves' Eyes - Meredead". Metal Storm. 18 September 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ↑ Simms, Kelley. "Leaves' Eyes - 'Meredead'". Heavy Metal. About.com. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ↑ "Leaves' Eyes - "Meredead" (CD)". Metal Underground.com. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ↑ Cannella, Tony (15 May 2012). "Leaves' Eyes - "Meredead" (2011)". Femme Metal Webzine. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ↑ Mitsakos, Yiannis (9 May 2011). "Leaves' Eyes - Meredead". Metal Temple.com. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ↑ Larsen, Tim (13 June 2011). "Leaves' Eyes - Meredead". Rockfreaks.net. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- 1 2 "Leaves' Eyes - "Meredead" sample and own words by Liv Kristine". Leaves' Eyes Official Website. Leaves' Eyes. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
- ↑ Marsden, Richard (2004). The Cambridge Old English reader. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 140. ISBN 0521-45612-6. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
- ↑ Marsden, Richard (2004). The Cambridge Old English reader. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 143. ISBN 0521-45612-6. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
- ↑ "Album – Leaves' Eyes, Meredead". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Leaves' Eyes - Meredead". Ultratop (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- 1 2 "Napalm Records Chart Results". Napalm Records. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ↑ "Meredead Billboard Alnums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 19 April 2014.