Leaves’ Eyes - The Last Viking (2020)

As one of the most senior bands in the scene, Leaves’ Eyes has marked the path for countless others. With “The Last Viking”, the band delivers their signature bombastic music with a few additional surprises and great intensity. Featuring over 60 minutes of lush songs, this release showcases the band having fun while staying true to their lyrical and musical foundations.

Leading with the cinematic opener, “Death of a King”, the band continues with the folkier and Turisas-esque “Chain of the Golden Horn”. This very lively track unleashes masterful choir arrangements and Elina Siirala’s enchanting lead vocals. With a folkier and very dynamic guitars/drums approach, this and other tracks like “War of Kings” have a very epic and powerful sound. Our personal favorite is the dramatic “Black Butterfly” with its lush instrumentation and superbly catchy duet between Elina and Visions of Atlantis Clémentine Delauney.

As a dream to both Symphonic and Folk Metal fans, tracks like “Serpents and Dragons”, “Dark Love Empress” and “For Victory” create very lush and imaginative soundscapes with crafty instrumentation and superbly catchy guitar work, particularly this last song. Other tracks are perfect for a renaissance fair soundtrack like the festive “Verangians”. However, we prefer sometimes the more direct and powerful songs like the epic “Night of the Ravens” and “Break Into the Sky of Aeon”.

Closing with the title track, Leaves’ Eyes never disappoints with their very refined and yet complex sound full of lush folk elements and just the right level of heaviness. Over the years the band has continued to expand and add a more bombastic and cinematic experience in their releases and on “The Last Viking” the band has seemed to reach yet another high note in their careers.

Label: AFM Records

Release: October 23rd, 2020

Genre: Symphonic Metal

Country: Germany