EYE OF MELIAN

There is no point in denying it: EYE OF MELIAN make beautiful music. "Forest of Forgetting" is the long-awaited follow-up to this Dutch project's first album, 2022's lavish and sparkling "Legends of Light", and it will have fans of symphonic metal and fantasy film scores weeping into their popcorn. The brainchild of DELAIN guitarist Martijn Westerholt, EYE OF MELIAN eschew heaviness in favor of opulent, orchestral and folk-fueled balladry, with AURI vocalist Johanna Kurkela kicking up billowing clouds of fairy dust with the sweetest of melodies. A cynic might suggest that the experience is somewhat akin to listening exclusively to the atmospheric interludes on NIGHTWISH records, skipping all the riffs. But for those who buy into the notion that spending an hour in an enchanted, musical forest has real world cathartic and / or healing benefits, "Forest of Forgetting" is difficult to argue with. Again, EYE OF MELIAN make beautiful music, and cynicism has no part to play here.

Clearly a labor of love, and an album that revels in its own feverish attention to detail, this is much more than a side-project for Westerholt and Kurkela. Happily lost in a world of Tolkien, Disney and other imaginary, literary and cinematic realms, these songs seem to exist out of time and detached from earthly reality. They are also wonderfully crafted and devoid of extraneous attempts to lure in a broader audience. "Forest of Forgetting" knows its people and indulges them to the point of obliviated bliss. Everything is shrouded in a thick, disorienting fog of reverb, and Kurkela's voice blends seamlessly with its surroundings, conjuring images of snow-capped mountains and moonlit glades, with occasional bursts of organic instrumentation providing the only tangible link to the here and now. NIGHTWISH alumnus Troy Donockley and hurdy-gurdy guru Patty Gurdy make several appearances, bringing extra layers of prettiness and sonic depth to "Elixir of Night" and the resolutely gorgeous "Dawn of Avatars". Meanwhile, songs like "The Buried Well" and the short but perfectly formed "Nepenthe" are so elegant and delicate that they would be blown away in a breeze were it not for the strength of Kurkela's vocal melodies and the dexterous arrangements that Westerholt has been meticulous in crafting. It is all undeniably lovely to listen to, and a cover of Bruce Dickinson's "Tears of the Dragon" brings the curtain down with a twinkly eyed flourish, the original's brooding romance newly converted into an iridescent fever dream.

The only serious criticism to be drawn here is that "Forest of Forgetting" is slightly too serene and magical for the ugly times we're living through right now. If you have the ability to disconnect from the real world and truly immerse yourself in Westerholt's self-contained, magical world, then EYE OF MELIAN may be the perfect antidote to real life's mounting vileness. If you clapped for Tinkerbell, this may be for you. Everyone else will find the leap of faith and suspension of disbelief demanded by this sugary confection to be a challenge too far.