Sirenia - The 13th Floor (2009)

After making us wait 2 years after their last full length release this Norwegian band comes back in full strength with The 13th Floor.

Sirenia continues with their unique gothic metal style, and while this album sounds very similar to Nine Destinies and a Downfall, it improves on that album taking the band’s sound to a more mature level.

The female vocals are top of great quality providing a different sound to other bands in the genre. The male grunts courtesy of Morten Veland are more rare than in previous releases but they are still present and well used.

One of the interesting facts that I remember reading when Morten Veland left Tristania is that he mentioned he left because of musical differences, however Sirenia seems to be taking the same direction that Tristania has taken over the years with the use of a choir and a variety of vocal arrangements. This does not take anything from the album and both bands have their distinct sound, but they converge in the use of certain elements in their releases.

The 13th floor is a great album by gothic metal standards and I would recommend it to any fan of gothic metal or female ‘fronted’ bands, however I must say that at some times it sounds kind of pop-ish but this is not overly done like in other bands that are trying to achieve mainstream commercial stardom.

Country: Norway