Well, apparently Morten took my advice (or more likely came to the realization on his own after reading nothing but bad reviews). Sirenia’s new album, Perils of the Deep Blue, is such an improvement over the band’s previous material that I’d even go as far as to say it’s the best album they’ve released since At Sixes and Sevens. Why such high praise, you ask? Because Perils of the Deep Blue is everything Sirenia has always tried to be but previously failed to achieve: it’s bombastic, heavy, dark, beautiful, epic, and melancholy all at once and in the right proportion. Part old-school charm, part modern gothic sensibility, it’s a perfect example of an updated gothic metal that’s true to its roots.

This is evident from the first notes of the lachrymose "Ducere Me In Lucem," where singer Aylin shows off her new-found classical leanings over a sorrowful piano line an backed by the signature Sirenia choir. But suddenly, the somber tune is overtaken by the combined bombast of the choir, drums, and guitar in "Seven Widows Weep," where Morten takes over with his harsh vocals, singing of lost sailors lured to their deaths by enchanting Sirens, which perfectly describes the vocals of Aylin in this song. In the chorus we hear her pushing her voice to new heights with a power we haven’t seen from her before, yet switching effortlessly to a softer, soothing croon in the bridge. "Seven Widows Weep" is a perfect example of the "new" Sirenia. There’s a new-found heaviness here, demonstrated by pounding drums and crushing guitars, that’s both supported and juxtaposed by the symphonic elements and Aylin’s vocal prowess. Now, she’s always been a good singer, but you can certainly hear the major improvements over the last few records. Her range is wider and she’s learned a few new tricks, improving her diction quite a bit as well (something that was hard to listen to at times on previous albums).

The album continues in a similar vein with "My Destiny Come to Pass," which boasts one of the heaviest and most epic intros Sirenia has produced to date. This song is a perfect example of Morten letting the songs grow into themselves instead of molding them to a predetermined formula. All of your typical Sirenia elements are here: the choirs, the growls, the memorable chorus, the chugging riffs, but here they don’t seem at all out of place. They all have their parts and they blend together to make one hell of a song where nothing seems superfluous as it often does with Sirenia.

And while the typical Sirenia elements are oh-so-present on this album, the band also tries to go outside their comfort zone a little bit with songs like bilingual "Ditt Endelik," a bit more of a typical alternative gothic rocker sung in Norwegian, featuring Joakim Næss on vocal duties and only featuring Aylin whispering Spanish lyrics before and after the final chorus. It seems Sirenia doesn’t stray too far from their comfort zone, though, as the album dives right back into familiar territory with "Cold Caress," which again showcases Sirenia’s new heaviness and the full extent of Aylin’s vocal abilities. Truthfully, this song is very much like some of the previous ones, featuring the same general structure and recycling the elements we’ve already heard on "Seven Widows Weep" and "My Destiny Come to Pass." It may have been too much to hope that Morten would entirely abandon his penchant for formulas, but on the upside, I didn’t really notice that these were basically the same song until I really listened to them carefully.

Again, "Darkling" and "Decadence" continue in a similar vein, but heavier and darker still. The former showcases an interesting layering of elements: a forlorn female vocal over a chugging guitar riff, followed by Morten’s growl backed by pounding drums and Aylin’s croon. This is yet another example of a more organic approach to songwriting, as the transitions here between all the different elements are flawless, something Morten has struggled with on the past few albums. "Decadence" brings us a touch of industrial metal, something the band began to experiment with on The Enigma of Life, one of that album’s very few positive notes. In fact, Sirenia could switch entirely over to industrial metal, and you wouldn’t hear me complaining. They’re quite good at it! This song also features the album’s first guitar solo in addition to some clean vocals from Morten reminiscent of At Sixes and Sevens.

"Stille Kom Doden" slows things down a bit. This 12-minute epic starts off slow and heavy, mournful and doomy, very much reminiscent of early Tristania. Aylin comes in strong, yet sorrowful. Despite the fact that she’s singing in Norwegian (yet another accomplishment!), you don’t need to understand the lyrics to feel the emotion she conveys. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Sirenia song without a bombastic choral interlude about half-way through. The second half of the song switches effortlessly between maelstroms of Morten’s growls and riffs, and quieter somber passages featuring softer sides of both vocalists over a bed of acoustic guitar. Morten really showcases some great guitar work toward the end, adding to the chaotic vibe of certain passages. In true gothic fashion, the song ends with the sound of church bells ringing during a thunderstorm, leaving the listener a moment to ponder what he just heard before the album takes another turn for the more typical Sirenia in "The Funeral March." While I enjoy Morten exploring territory outside his comfort zone, this song, clearly a throwback to the style of more recent Sirenia albums, is actually one of the best on Perils of the Deep Blue, which just goes to show that Morten is a master at his craft, limited as it may be. Thankfully, this album only has one or two songs truly following the formula of the past few albums instead of an album with one good song and twelve slightly edited copies.

"Profound Scars" heads back into industrial territory and manages to be the heaviest song on an already fairly heavy album. Its brilliant layering of choirs and synths over a fantastic riff, its downright creepy verse, the memorable chorus, Morten’s epic grows, and a generally dark and heavy ambience make this song easily one of the best on the record. The album closes with "A Blizzard is Storming," which is sadly doesn’t live up to its place of honor on the record as the closing song. It’s creepy vibe and, for lack of a better word, bouncy verse make for a good listen, but this is one of those songs that suffer from the Sirenia curse. While the rest of the album has a very organic feel to it, "A Blizzard is Storming" sounds a bit discordant and lacks the smooth transition between different elements. It ends abruptly and is rather anti-climactic for a closing track, leaving you wondering whether Sirenia just forgot to include a song to close off the album. For a song that’s a relative disappointment, it couldn’t have been put in a spot that more effectively exposes its weaknesses.

Despite the disappointing ending, this album is extremely enjoyable. Perils of the Deep Blue is what gothic metal’s been missing for many years. While the other pioneers of the genre have gone on in more alternative directions, Morten has stayed true to his roots and has finally produced an album worthy of his status as a gothic metal legend. Hardcore Sirenia fans (who seem to worship the band with a fervor most of the world’s religions would envy) and old-school gothic traditionalists will rejoice at the band’s amazing comeback, while perhaps this album will also win back the legions of gothic metal enthusiasts who’ve all but given up hope for Morten and the crew. With Tristania also having released one of the best albums of the year, it looks like gothic metal is making a comeback, with its original pioneers leading the charge. We can only hope this trend continues!

8.5 / 10

Standout tracks: "Seven Widows Weep" "Stille Kom Doden" "The Funeral March" and "Profound Scars."