Band:	Sirenia
Album:	The Seventh Life Path
Style:	Symphonic gothic metal
Release date:	May 2015

01. Seti
02. Serpent
03. Once My Light
04. Elixir
05. Sons Of The North
06. Earendel
07. Concealed Disdain
08. Insania
09. Contemptuous Quitus
10. The Silver Eye
11. Tragedienne
12. Tragica [Tragedienne version][spanish bonus]

Ahh? Sirenia. A band I've always felt quite attached to as it's one of the first discoveries I'd made back when I first joined this site, around the time when The 13th Floor was released. Ailyn was definitely the main reason that got me hooked. Admittedly, I'm hardly the most loyal fan because I turned my back on her upon listening to the pedestrian effort named The Enigma Of Life. Of course, that's not really her fault as we know that Morten Veland is the man pulling all the strings, so whether a new Sirenia album is successful or not largely depends on him.

Those who are familiar with the band should know what to expect, and fans know that Mr Veland doesn't really need to reinvent the band's sound to remain relevant. For the casual reader or uninitiated, Sirenia is a Norwegian symphonic gothic metal act that fits the standard expectations quite well, as in a female vocalist with a nice voice who sings accessible bittersweet melodies with some beauty-and-the-beast passages. What struck me hard right away, though, was once again Ailyn's performance. The distinct fragile quality of her voice is so recognisable despite all those years in between, but it has become even more apparent when compared to her debut effort with Sirenia. While it may sound contradictory to the previous statement, Ailyn also managed to sound more powerful at the same time, and it has to be heard to understand what I actually mean. It's hard to fathom what sort of magic has been employed here to achieve this particular effect, but it definitely augments the strengths of the music and complements the heavier direction the band has chosen for this opus.

Digging deeper into the album, other differences start to become more apparent in a pleasant way. The song structures are more complex and still maintain a natural flow, partially brought about by how the symphonic parts are truly melded with the metal parts, while the more energised solos are a welcome addition. In fact, I can say that it has all come together now, but the best description I can come up with is that the music paints an apocalyptic picture in a captivating Victorian setting that involves waves crashing on the sand and old abandoned homes.

There are plenty of new bands in the symphonic or gothic metal scenes trying to be the next-big-thing, but Sirenia's latest release is definitely a reality check to those ambitions. Because most of us are familiar with Morten Veland's work with Tristania and Sirenia, it is definitely not a revolution or an even an evolution. Nevertheless, this is a refinement that's worth the time of any fans of this band and sub-genre.