LEAVES' EYES

The Last Viking

AFM
rating icon 7 / 10

Track listing:

01. Death Of A King
02. Chain Of The Golden Horn
03. Dark Love Empress
04. Serpents And Dragons
05. Black Butterfly (feat. Clémentine Delauney)
06. War Of Kings
07. For Victory
08. Two Kings One Realm
09. Flames In The Sky
10. Serkland
11. Varangians
12. Night Of The Ravens
13. The Last Viking
14. Break Into The Sky Of Aeon


Although never quite established on the genre's top tier, LEAVES' EYES have certainly earned a formidable reputation as symphonic stalwarts. With a robust catalogue of full-length records and an international fan base, there will be plenty of people waiting for the Norwegians/Germans' new album, and the best news available is that it's very obviously one of their finest efforts to date. With vocalist ELINA SIIRALA now firmly assimilated, "The Last Viking" feels far more confident and joyously bombastic than 2018's "Sign of the Dragonhead", while also boasting a much more diverse and unpredictable array of songwriting styles.

Still tending to err on the side of death metal fury whenever possible, LEAVES' EYES have long been one of the heavier bands in this corner of the metal realm. "The Last Viking" definitely backs that up, and it's the more aggressive moments here that stand out as obvious keepers for future live shows. Anthemic opener "Chain Of The Golden Horn" and recent single "Dark Love Empress" lay out the formula with plenty of finesse: the melodies are simple but all the more memorable as a result, and the depth of layered sound underpinning it all sparkles with clarity and ultra-modern oomph. Similarly, "Serpents And Dragons" hammers home the enduring power of operatic and deathly vocals colliding over a series of startling brutal riffs. "Flames In The Sky" is so beefy and bellicose that it almost sounds like AMON AMARTH.

If there is a downside to "The Last Viking", it's that LEAVES' EYES do seem a little too beholden to the sound of symphonic metal circa 10-15 years ago. Admittedly, the majority of their most obvious peers have either moved forwards or sideways from the genre's now well-worn formula, with bands like DELAIN and BEYOND THE BLACK following WITHIN TEMPTATION's lead by ditching the fantasy vibes and embracing a pop-metal future. But this is not an album with much to offer in terms of progress, instead, it's an absolute riot for anyone that preferred symphonic metal when it wasn't so meticulously thought through.

The result is that "The Last Viking" is at its most powerful when its creators take a risk or three. The closing title track, all ten thunderous minutes of it, is easily the best thing here, and may make more casual observers wonder why LEAVES' EYES don't pursue that course more extensively. But in truth, all of those minor issues evaporate in the face of some genuinely crushing but endlessly extravagant symphonic metal, played by a band with real spirit and an intuitive grasp of what makes this stuff work. "The Last Viking" won't change your world, but it will transport you somewhere much less weakening for precisely 64 minutes.

Author: Dom Lawson
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).