Midnattsol - Nordlys
CD Info
2008
Napalm Records / Austria
9 Tracks
English & Nordic Lyrics
You know, we all love to watch a great metal band, the long hair, the flair for the dramatic, the wild gestures on stage, the crushing stage presence. It’s what the metal scene is all about. How do you make it better, how about a great band, in the musical sense, and a couple blond bombshells on stage performing? You just defined Midnattsol.
Midnattsol is a composite band from Norway and Germany. They do symphonic metal, not exactly operatic, but symphonic certainly. The lyrics are Norwegian folk for the most part, but that doesn’t necessarily deviate far from the gothic. Lead singer Carmen Elise Espenæs is, of course, the younger sister of, Liv Kristine Espenæs Krull, of fame with Leaves Eyes and other projects. Both can sing, both are extremely easy on the eyes. And then we migrate to the bass player, one Birgit Öllbrunner. Don’t let the fact that she is a Master of Geography and an environmental engineer distract you, she is a first class bass player, and the best looking bass player I have ever seen. The rest of the band includes Daniel Droste and Fabian Pospiech – Guitar, Daniel Fischer – Keyboard and Chris Merzinsky – Drums. They are accomplished musicians and a first rate Scandinavian metal troop.Midnattsol, or "Midnight Sun" in Norwegian, has produced two album releases, Where Twilight Dwells in 2005 and the one under review here in March of 2008. Nordlys, or "The Northlight" continues with the atmospheric metal sound of the earlier release. Singer Carmen Elise Espenæs and guitarist Chris Hector, the founders of the group, established the original direction for the band and have continued to refine the sound over the several years of the band’s existence. The sound is excellent, however, the band is often, unfortunately, regarded as the band of Liv Kristine’s younger sister. And, as big as Liv Kristine is in this business, that is certainly not hard to understand. However, it is unfortunate. Carmen does not sound like Liv, at least not in my opinion, and the sound of the band is different from the Leaves Eyes sound. Not better, not worse, just different. Carman has an excellent voice, and, also like her more famous sister, is a delight to the eye. The band’s blend of gothic, folk, atmospheric metal has garnered a following amongst the Goths as well as the metal heads. Their lyrical direction expands that attraction to followers of the folk metal camps as well as those who appreciate the Nordic historical perspective.
Nordlys opens with a bang, a metal bang. Open Your Eyes begins with a solid metal guitar, followed by a second, setting a gothic drone. Then the drums hit, followed quickly by the strong base, and the beautiful gothic sound of vocalist Carmen. This is a gothic number, guitar based over the strong base line and the pounding drums. Carmen’s voice is pure Scandinavian beauty; the background sound complements it perfectly. It’s dark mystery, beautiful but haunting, what we have come to expect from this part of the world in a format we have become comfortable with. But it is exemplary, all components. As the song moves towards its conclusion, the keyboards deliver a symphonic component, taking the song to perfection.
The second song, Skogens Lengsel, is more heavy metal. The guitars are more up front and louder. Carmens’s vocals are more focused and metal sounding. And Birgit’s bass is pounding like a 6 AM jackhammer. How can such a lovely thing produce such a thundering sound? This is one of the more metal sounding numbers, light on the symphonic, hard on the guitars with less overlaying of the vocals and more focused and to the point.
Northern Light moves the group to a Norwegian folk sound, or what passes for it on this album. Again, guitars start the show, but softly. Carmen goes dark and dusky here. The song is folk based, a lament of the soul. However, the guitars begin to build and that base kicks up the sound level to a darker, harder perspective. There is some interesting production with Carmen’s voice here, and there is a lot you can do with a voice like this. The song builds as the guitars and the base begin to work harder; the drums send a signal of intense emotion. What was once soft and beautiful is now hard and driven. From a production perspective, one of the highlights of the CD. Lyrically, the message talks to the ethereal:
In a time where
I was standing on the edge
on a hill that
could lead to eternity
Abandoned in a world in vain
where every movement
strengthened the exhausting pains
In a time where the days were like nights
And the night was like a storm filled day
Was empty of sacrifice all I own
But then I recognized
The existence
of your delicious light
The majority of the music is sung in English, however, it is interesting to note that one song is done in Norwegian. En Nat I Nord is one of the more interesting songs and one that takes the band closest to a different path. Being from Wisconsin, I’ve heard a lot of Norwegian and never thought it to be a particularly romantic language. However here, the sound has a mystical quality, over a mystical background. Lyrics may read harshly:
En fuktig sommernatt i nord
Regnet har nettopp lagt sine spor
Et grønt-blått lys
Trenger seg frem
gjennom trærne og treffer meg
But they sure sound beautiful here. Maybe it has something to do with Carmen singing in her native language; maybe it’s just the song. Either way, it has a lovely effect.
Midnattsol is a mainstream musical commodity. The background musicians are as good as it gets, the vocals are delivered by a songstress with a solid musical genealogy. Lyrics are solid and the production is from the best of the best. And it never hurts that the band offers two of the most beautiful women in metal up front and driving the action. It doesn’t get much better than this.
10 / 10
