In Norwegian tales of old, of a time when trolls, fairies and elves walked the earth long before the rise of man, the focus is on the Midnightsun (in Norwegian: Midnattsol). When the Midnightsun had risen and bathed the world in its unnatural glow, these creatures of myth and magic would rise with it, leaving their darkened caves and returning to the light. And with them came the stories that would become legend with each passing generation. These legends haven't been forgotten, and they are now being revisited by a young Norwegian-German band called MIDNATTSOL, who have brought these tales back to life through their Nordic Folk Metal sound. Not all their songs are about trolls, elves and dwarves, however; some people say their music possesses an intangible Nordic magic that lets you escape reality, if only for a while.

Singer Carmen Elise Espenaes - the younger sister of LEAVES' EYES vocalist Liv Kristine - and guitarist Chris Hector founded MIDNATTSOL in 2002, their common ground being their mutual affection for Nordic mythology and composition. Other like-minded individuals were found in short order - former Penetralia-drummer Chris Murzinsky, keyboardist Daniel Fischer, guitarist Daniel Droste and bassist Birgit Öllbruner - and the band recorded their first self-titled demo featuring the songs 'Desolate' and 'Dancing In The Midnightsun' at Mastersound Studios. Only a year after their formation the buzz had started, attracting attention from several record companies and resulting in the band's current deal with Napalm Records.

Whether it was Carmen's voice, her emotioanl lyrics, or the melancholy guitars no one can say for certain, but 'Desolate' ended up as the new #1 on the Metal Charts at Downloadportals MP3.de and has since received over 4,000 hits. Small wonder that MIDNATTSOL attracted the attention of the music media, specifically Orkus, Zillo, Metal Heart, and the Canadian metal magazine Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. In addition, Carmen's guest appearance on the LEAVES' EYES track 'Into Your Light' made the pages of a major Norwegian newspaper, long before the release of the official MIDNATTSOL debut. She was also invited to go on tour with the world famous black metal band CRADLE OF FILTH as a background vocalist on their 'Nymphetamine' world tour, but had to decline the offer in order to focus on completing the MIDNATTSOL debut.

In the end it was worth the heartbreak. WHERE TWILIGHT DEWLLS is the astounding result of months of hard work, taking the listener on a journey through the dark, mysterious and ultimately thought-provoking Scandinavian landscape. One might be reminded of the magic of BATHORY on acoustic guitar-led tracks like 'Unpayable Silence' and 'Tårefall', or perhaps classic ANATHEMA on MIDNATTSOL's interpretation of Edvard Griegs 'Solveigs Sang' (found in the song 'Tapt Av Håp') and tracks like 'Lament' und 'Infinite Fairytale'.
Whatever the case, WHERE TWILIGHT DEWLLS will transport the listener to another world, a world that can be further explored shortly after ist release through a book entitled En dans i midnattsol (A Dance In The Midnightsun). Written by Doreen Krase and available through www.edition42.net, the book is a Nordic fairytale connected to the midnightsun and the themes explored in MIDNATTSOL's lyrics. As such, one can look at WHERE TWILIGHT DEWLLS as a concept album even though both CD and book are separate entities. Perhaps guitarist Chris Hector describes it best, as an "open circle that can be closed if one likes."

[www.midnattsol.com]