Rating: 10 / 10 Stars
REVIEW – Liv Kristine and Alexander Krull are to me the best of this so-called, “beauty and the beast” vocal style, where you have the operatic voice of Liv and the growls of Alexander. When it comes to the genre of Symphonic Metal, Leaves’ Eyes has to be considered one of the best. Where the last release for them Symphonies of the Night was a little softer than usual, King of Kings is a monster that just has so much power and intensity that this is easily the heaviest the band has sounded in a very long time. This record is a concept record about Norway’s first king Harald Fairhair and features the London Voices choir who adds a depth to the music. Liv is one of those singers who seem to be getting better each release, whether it was her last two amazing solo records or this new cd, she really has a vocal delivery so angelic and genuine, that you are just drawn to her words like a moth to flame. King of Kings seem to be a continuation of this mixture of Symphonic Metal and folk that has this landscape and theme of classical and historical.
Opening track is Sweven that has this atmospheric tone to it with acoustic instruments that romance Liv’s vocals. The tracks leads us to the amazing title track King of Kings which feels like watching an opera unfold with Krull just totally adding something sinister to this beauty. Halvdan the Black showcases what Leaves’ Eyes brings to music, Liv’s voice is so gentle and beautiful than romances the instruments and songs, then you have the lush feel disappear for this death metal growl that just creates such a beautiful counterpart. This record from there just showcases what this band’s strengths are, that being a band of musicians that can really create beautiful landscapes for Liv to caress and Krull to destroy. I feel Liv is the second coming of Kate Bush. My god, that cover she did of The Man with the Child in his eyes years ago is to me her finest hour, till now. King of Kings is the release the fans have been waiting so patience and it does not fail. This is a band that just gets better release to release, and to call this their best cd sounds so clichéd, but this cd from start to finish is so impressive. I said this on Liv’s last solo record; the only negative about this cd is how can they follow this up? For those who said “Metal and Rock are dead” …you need to send the memo to Leaves’ Eyes, they seem to be keeping it very alive.
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