Band:	Leaves' Eyes
Album:	Lovelorn
Style:	Symphonic metal
Release date:	May 24, 2004
Guest review by:	Elodie Artour

01. Norwegian Lovesong
02. Tale Of The Sea Maid
03. Oceans Way
04. Lovelorn
05. The Dream
06. Secret
07. For Amelie
08. Temptation
09. Into Your Light
10. Return To Life

Leaves' Eyes' debut album Lovelorn takes Symphonic metal lovers on a journey to a world of distant shores and fairy tales without sounding cliché. With it, songwriters Liv Kristine and Alexander Krull prove their ability to create quality music by using clear female vocals, picturesque lyrics, grunts and memorable melodies. Moreover, their music is sewn from contrast between drama, softness and beauty which seemingly gave the band a great start from the very beginning. Lovelorn is definitely not Leaves' Eyes' best record but it surely is one of the outstanding debut albums in female-fronted metal.

Inspired mainly by Norway's nature, Lovelorn starts with a patriotic song in the face of "Norwegian Lovesong." Similar lyrical themes are being repeated throughout the whole album, followed by others, such as love and seduction. Musically, the album is not a true masterpiece but on the other hand, contains precisely 10 melodic tracks, two out of which are ballads. Songs vary from dramatic instrumental parts that contain choirs and orchestrations to calm and tender ones. The songwriters' experience has helped a lot during the process of creating the album - there are not to be heard any absurd solos, neither are there any weak songs on it. Every single piece has been performed with skills and a great deal of talent. In addition, all instruments match perfectly with the vocals. Most of the lyrics are a bit naïve and totally charming which is another advantage of Lovelorn. Alex Krull's grunts may not be that good, but they do not sound horrible, either. His voice accompanies quite well the one of Liv Kristine, whose singing technique is incredibly well-developed. The wide range of her voice makes her perform every song off the record with a recognizable ease. On "Into Your Light," guest vocals by Liv's sister Carmen Elise Espenæs create a rather interesting and unique combination. Rarely does a Symphonic metal band include two female singers in just one song which gives additional points to the album. "Ocean's Way," "Temptation," and "Into Your Light" are some of the good songs, to name a few.

Lovelorn creates the impression that the band members were still afraid to deploy their compositions and were somehow afraid of improvisations, as well. The album seems more like an auspicious try to break into the music industry and be received positively by fans and critics. This attempt has definitely been achieved. All in all, Lovelorn is an "easy listening" album but far from obvious commercialism, boringness and absence of originality. Compared with the band's later releases, their debut is just the beginning of a talented and enthusiastic metal band with a bright future.