well, here we go. with one album, the band blew tons of people away. it isnt every day you find a gothic band with folk elements to them, espeically when they are comming from Norway. Norway is huge with gothic metal bands like Theatre Of Tragedy, The Sins OF Thy Beloved and other bands, so this band sort of comes as an outlier.

and yes people, Carmen is Liv's sister. Liv sounds familiar? same female vocalist from old Theatre Of Tragedy, Leaves Eyes, she did a song with Cradle Of Filth, and has her own solo career.


anyways, what do you guys think of the band? your thoughts on Carmen (the female vocalist)? what do you think of Carmen's sister LIV? what genre do they belong to in your opinion? how did you find out about them? and isnt their cover of 'where twilight dwells' one of the best covers you have ever seen?!


do you think that Carmen, and her band are just using Liv's publicity to get big?

They're good, but I think they're too bland. They bill themselves as folk metal when I don't think there's more than a tinge of folk to their sound. I would like them much better if they had either more folk (strong folk melodies or instruments would be really cool) or were heavier, with a stronger emphasis on guitar rythmns. Their lyrics are good though and I like Carmen's voice. She gets compared to Liv a lot because they're sisters, but I don't really hear much of a similarity between the two. She has a very natural, pretty voice, nothing too spectacular I think but it could develop into something stronger.

Carmen is a young singer, so ofcourse she has a long way to go. on top of that, liv has a really high pitched and almost fragile voice that is powerful at the same time. carmen on the other hand has this powerful voice that is almost demanding. but she has a few things to learn in order to be a bit better


i dont know, i personally like the random folk hints they have. like, if you compare them to other folk metal bands like Mago De Oz, and In Extremo, you would see how folky they are. their music is entirly folk, and some of their ballades make it hard to figure out if they are actually metal or folk. where as Midnattsol has random folk touchs which makes their sound sort of unique. though they classify themselves as folk before gothic, but everyoen can pin point their gothic stuff before their folk stuff.

as for them being heavier....humm, i dont know, i personally didnt like the level of distortion they used on the album. its way beyond the 'insane' distortion, and i'm not really sure how many pedals they have used for it. but if they were to add in more rhythm guitars, then they would still have their originality in the gothic scene, but not in the general metal world.

they arent the best band in the gothic/folk genre, nor are they on the top, but still, an intersting band to check out. true, they are sort of bland, but thats just their first album. give em a bit more time. they aready mastered their production level. like if you compare this album with Theatre Of Tragedy's debute, you would notice how badly produced that album is. but this album had an awsome production quality, nothing was too in the background, or the foreground. everything fitted perfectly. just give em time to develop their sound a bit further i guess

I have the album 'Where Twilight Dwells' but I haven't heard all the songs, I must say that this band is very good acording to the songs I know and since this band comes from Norway, it's sure that they make an excellent gothic metal and quite better that it's combinated with folk too.
I found this band as casuality, around 7 months ago I shared music with a friend of mine and then I discovered them, and I liked, just that I need to hear more stuff to have a better opinion

One of my favourite new folk metal groups. They do it differently that most of the in-your-face folk metal bands; very refreshing.

Carmen's voice is nice and sweet but her English diction is SO very very awful that it's almost annoying to listen to. She is a poet first and a singer second. That's fine but she could be great with a little training.

I often put their album on when I'm driving, it's just pleasant to have on anywhere. That said - as often as I've listened to it I still couldn't recognize half of their songs; they just don't have that memorable quality. Several do stand out, though, especially the closing track "Dancing With the Midnight Sun"

I don't like this band to much, they're soft and repetitive, sometimes boring; the voice is not the best one when I hear Liv's voice I just enjoy it, it's perfect with the music it really highlights but Carmen's voice result to be boring, desperating maybe she would live always under the shadow of her sister at Theatre of Tragedy...

anyone have any updates on the band? their site is rather useless if you do not speak dutch. and i really wanna hear what these guys have in store for us!

@ Soliloquy : their site is in German, not Dutch. But "German" in German is "Deutsch" and "Dutch" in German is "Niederländisch"...

Anyway, the site doesn't get updated much indeed. The first news report on their site talks about their drummer who is now part of Orion Cymbals or something. The next report are two tour dates : Mera Luna 2006 (Hildesheim, Germany) - 12.08.2006 and Metal Female Voices Festival IV (Wieze, Belgium) - 21.10.2006

But on the forum they are talking about their new album...

"Hectore (band) wrote:
well, we're still writing new songs but so much happened and we don't find much time at the moment. But we're working on it...
Guess the new album will come in the first half of 2007..."

BTW : I'll probably be at Metal Female Voices Festival IV and I'm really looking forward to see them!!

Written by Thryce on 22.08.2006 at 11:36



BTW : I'll probably be at Metal Female Voices Festival IV and I'm really looking forward to see them!!

YAY!! Pleeeeeeeease write a concert review and take lots of pictures

Written by Susan on 22.08.2006 at 12:01

Written by Thryce on 22.08.2006 at 11:36



BTW : I'll probably be at Metal Female Voices Festival IV and I'm really looking forward to see them!!

YAY!! Pleeeeeeeease write a concert review and take lots of pictures

Sure, I can do that. But only because you asked it so friendly

Midnattsol, i discover them a while ago, i really like em. The sound is great, it dosen't sound like others.

Written by Vinnie R. on 22.08.2006 at 23:07

Midnattsol, i discover them a while ago, i really like em. The sound is great, it dosen't sound like others.

I agree! They sure don't sound like others. They're often compared to Leaves' Eyes but if the singers weren't sisters then I'm sure no one would put these bands together (as they sound nothing alike! ).

yeah, they dont sound like a lot of the other folk metal bands either. they dont have that stupid get up(thats a first). second, they arent all beer drinking cheery people like Mago De Oz, and In Extremo.

not saying that that is bad, coz i really love In Extremo. but its a nice change

Midnattsol - New Interview Online :

The following is an excerpt from an interview with Midnattsol guitarist/founder Christian Hector conducted by the Uruguay-based metal e-zine, Rise! :

Rise!: Are there any plans for a video clip?

Hector: "Not at the moment. If we'd do a video I'd like to do something more like a short film with some skilled film students. My personal dream is to do something without real colours - just some sort of sepia-toned piece. Telling a story, you know, not only a band playing the song in a forest or something."

Rise!: On (debut album) Where Twilight Dwells you included a song in Norwegian, a song called 'På Leting', have you ever thought to do an entire album in Norwegian in the future?

Hector: "Actually, there is also 'Tapt Av Hap' entirely in Norwegian and some parts of the 'Dancing In The Midnight Sun' lyrics are also in Norwegian. Maybe we'll do an entire norwegian album sometime, but it's not planned yet."

Rise!: Do you have any favorite song from the album?

Hector: "Playing live it's definitely 'Lament' and 'Tapt Av Hap' just for the intensity of it. To listen to, I really like 'Another Return' and 'Unpayable Silence'.

Rise!: How was your experience at the festivals you did? How was the response of the audience?

Hector: "Mostly very good. Especially the gigs with In Extremo were cool, but the outstanding one was Metal Female Voices Festival in Belgium. This was so fucking awesome! Never had more fun on stage and the audience was the best as well! We'll play the festival again this year because the fans voted Midnattsol as 'Live-Revelation Of The Year'. We were very flattered!"

Rise!: You played in a band called Penetralia. What kind of music did you play? Are you still active?

Hevtor: "No, Penetralia is history. We played kind of gothic black metal and later on a bit more death metal influenced music. We had three releases: Tribute To The Moon-EP, Carpe Noctem (Legends Of Fullmoon Empires) and Seelenkrank."

Rise!: What are the most important influences on Midnattsol's music? What are your favorite bands?

Hector: "Well, for the first album I think the most important influences were New Model Army, Amorphis and Moonsorrow - for me at least. My favourite bands at the moment are Shape Of Despair, the new Katatonia, Asphyx, Entombed, Garmarna, New Model Army..."

Rise!: Carmen (vocals) is (Leaves' Eyes singer) Liv's sister. Do you think Liv was an influence on Carmen? Does she like what Liv did with Theatre Of Tragedy and what she does with Leaves' Eyes? What's your opinion about both bands?

Hector: "Yes, Carmen likes Liv's music very much, especially ToT's Aegis album. My personal fave was the Velvet Darkness album - a great piece of doom music! I think Liv's a great singer. I couldn't believe it when I heard them rehearse. It was like a CD playing. That's a great gift she has; I think her new solo album is very good as well."

(http://rise.musica.com.uy)

Written by Vinnie R. on 22.08.2006 at 23:07

Midnattsol, i discover them a while ago, i really like em. The sound is great, it dosen't sound like others.

I discovere them just fiew days ago and I agree thay dont sound like others but its still some Scandic sound in thay music and and scandit type of lyrics, but otherwise it dont sounds like other bands

Here's a little Midnattsol update:

Midnattsol will co-headline the Metal Female Voices Festival on October 21st in Wieze, Belgium. According to drummer Chris Merzinsky, the band will perform one new song on the night as a taste of what's to come on their forthcoming second album, due out next year.

In addition, the band will be selling a limited number of T-shirts and girlie shirts printed specifically for the event. They will not be re-printed once they are sold out.

----
Unfortunately, in spite of what I said before, I won't make it to Metal Female Voices Fest...

damn europe gets all the awsome festivals and tours. would love to see these guys live. i always wondered how they got their distories so freaken high

and Thryce, why arent you going to the metal female voices fest?

Well, my fellow concert buddy isn't really into Gothic and all and he decided not to join me after all...
And I don't really feel like making the trip and going there all alone.. Too bad of course.

Written by Thryce on 16.10.2006 at 21:16

Well, my fellow concert buddy isn't really into Gothic and all and he decided not to join me after all...
And I don't really feel like making the trip and going there all alone.. Too bad of course.

yeah, i hate when ever friends do that. right now i'm begging most of my friends to go with me to blind guardian, and leaves' eyes show, but no, they all have to be stupid. and shows are not fun without friends

Written by Soliloquy on 16.10.2006 at 23:26

Written by Thryce on 16.10.2006 at 21:16

Well, my fellow concert buddy isn't really into Gothic and all and he decided not to join me after all...
And I don't really feel like making the trip and going there all alone.. Too bad of course.

yeah, i hate when ever friends do that. right now i'm begging most of my friends to go with me to blind guardian, and leaves' eyes show, but no, they all have to be stupid. and shows are not fun without friends

Well, you are always welcome to make the 10 hour drive or so down to the Boston area here in the US and join the three of us ! I have to say though, I have gone to about as many shows with friends as I have without, and I enjoy the shows just as much... It may take a little more alcohol to keep me entertained when I go alone, but the shows are just as good! I am planning on going to Queensryche next month alone, and see Moonspell this weekend alone as well! But I guess it depends on how you go to shows... I know I just like to hang out near the back and have a few drinks and enjoy the show. I always end up having random conversations with other metalheads or the merchandising tables, so it's not like I have to be silent the whole time

Ahh and the chance to see a "female voices" festival would certainly be a trip, I don't recall there ever being one that's come around near me... not for metal bands!

@dismaleuphony: that sounds like fun...but who's we?

as for shows, i'm usually in the front. somwhere in that tiny line between the rails and the mosh pits. thats where most of the guitarists lose their picks. although i was only able to grab hold of a therion's fender pick, but its all good

@Soliloquy, uhm well we are "three metal fans", nothing special about it, but I have to say, we are usually older than 80 percent of the people there... Yeah I know what you are talking about, that "line" next to the mosh pits. Personally I've hated moshing since I was 16, so I stay far enough away from it to avoid it altogether! And perhaps that's why I loved the Kamelot / Epica show so much that I saw... not a single person moshing in the whole venue.

And if Midnattsol came around and I saw moshing at it, I think I'd be annoyed... and confused to be honest

I'll probably make the trip alone to see Amon Amarth, Wintersun and Tyr, and I already saw Sepultura and In Flames all alone too... so I know what it is to go to gigs alone.
But seriously, MFVF is a whole day... Besides I got already other things planned. Maybe next year

Written by Jason W. on 18.10.2006 at 03:05

@Soliloquy, uhm well we are "three metal fans", nothing special about it, but I have to say, we are usually older than 80 percent of the people there... Yeah I know what you are talking about, that "line" next to the mosh pits. Personally I've hated moshing since I was 16, so I stay far enough away from it to avoid it altogether! And perhaps that's why I loved the Kamelot / Epica show so much that I saw... not a single person moshing in the whole venue.

And if Midnattsol came around and I saw moshing at it, I think I'd be annoyed... and confused to be honest

with kamelot, i wont have been surprised if there was some sort of mosh, but nothing too bit. but with epica....ahhaha. yeah, i dont like mosh pits all too much, but i like to be up there and sort of interacting with the band members. but yeah..i was suppose to go to that show....but taht didnt happen. stupid university and its stupid exams at random times!

being old? so what? metal is no fashion for lil kids or teens. just more teens and stuff listen to metal more than people who are older. age shouldnt have anything to do with metal. besides, if someone is being stupid, or trying to mosh at some gothic show, you can slap em down and make em cry.

Written by Susan on 22.08.2006 at 12:01


YAY!! Pleeeeeeeease write a concert review and take lots of pictures

Midnattsol - Pictures From Metal Female Voices Festival Available:

Midnattsol co-headlined the Metal Female Voices Festival on October 21st in Wieze, Belgium. Pictures from the show, on and off stage, can be found at this location.

As reported, Midnattsol, featuring Leaves' Eyes vocalist Liv Kristine's sister Carmen Elise, are currently working on material for the follow-up to their 2005 debut, "Where Twilight Dwells". An early 2007 release is expected.

Oh a new album , that's great

I like more to be alike her sister style

In the meantime, Midnattsol / Ahab guitarist Christian Hector has launched an official MySpace page. Go to http://www.myspace.com/christianhector to check it out.

I have "Where twilight...."

and the voice is to pale, the production is too lame and the thing is - I dont like it..

Check out the new song "Open Your Eyes", by reading this news report!
I find the song quite mediocre on first sight. But still pretty OK. Looking forward to the new album whatsoever!
Other short video fragments from Midnattsol performing on Metal Female Voices Fest 4 can be found here.

I was listening to the song "På leting" the other day and one question arised in my head: Is the song sunged in nynorsk or in bokmål? If there's any norwigian(or other people who knows these two froms of norwigian), I would be thankful for an answer.