I've been following the career of the Germany-based band Lyriel ever since I saw them live the first time – right after they released their first album Prisonworld in 2005. They were touring with Elis and Visions of Atlantis back then, and they were the first band to play every night. It doesn't happen often that the first opening band has me hooked after just a few songs, but this time it did. Since then, a lot has changed. They have released three more albums (Autumntales, Paranoid Circus, Leverage), and with each one they've taken their music, production, and artwork to a new level. Having started off as a Celtic Rock band, they adopted a heavier style over time, sometimes transcending the line between heavier rock and metal. They also started using their cello and violin in a more classical style, never entirely dropping the band's folky character though. The dimensions of their shows have changed as well - when they took the stage at the release show for their latest album Leverage, they had turned from the first band to play to the band who had two opening bands itself.

As the club filled up I could tell that the times when I knew a good deal of the people from previous Lyriel shows were over. A lot of these were people the recent media coverage in the leading scene magazines, or the deal with the new label, AFM Records, had lured in. And as some conversations at the merch table later would prove, many were just starting to listen to the older stuff and finding out more about the band. This of course meant that this show was not just Lyriel's first time playing the new material, but also the first impression they would make on most of the audience. The mood was good and expectant, and the two male-fronted opening bands, FireScent and In Legend (side-project of Van Canto-drummer Bastian Emig), were welcomed with enthusiasm.

With a clock ticking, eerie sounds in the background, and Lyriel backing vocalist and cello player Linda Laukamp's voice whispering a countdown from ten to one, the new album's intro "When it's Coming to an End..." set the perfect atmosphere for a catchy start of the show, and it quickly got really crowded in front of the stage. A quick peep at the setlist revealed that they would proceed to play the entire new album, and the new album only, yet in a different order. The first song, "Parting", functioned as a perfect bridge between the band's older and newer albums. Starting with a dark guitar riff and then adding a folky fiddle part that brings the focus on Joon (violin) and Linda (cello) Laukamp, the siblings on the strings, it turns into a lighthearted and rather quiet folk rock piece that emphasizes lead singer Jessica Thierjung's rich rock voice, and combines the characteristics of the old and new Lyriel.

The next few songs clearly pointed into the new direction the band is taking with Leverage. Among them was one of my personal highlights of both the album and the live performance – "White Lilly". With metal style guitars, back up strings, and a catchy chorus that combines the strong voices of both ladies in the band, it is one of the songs that have led to the Female Fronted Metal and Gothic Metal classifications Lyriel have been getting recently. Tucked in between the heavier songs, pieces like the folky, old Irish song "Star of the County Down" or the balled "Wenn die Engel fallen" gave people a break from headbanging and fist-throwing, and allowed for some dancing, jumping, and lighter-waving instead. The latter piece is a German duet for which Lyriel could welcome Thomas Lindner, singer of the German Medieval Folk Rock band Schandmaul as a guest musician. As he couldn't be there to perform in person, FireScent-singer Chris stood in for him and did an amazing job. After closing the set with the song "Leverage", which has an official music video and which also got them most of the attention they are receiving right now, they took a pretty quick exit from the stage.

As the Leverage-album-only set suggested though, there had to be some more in store. And sure enough, after a bit the intro of Lyriel's second album, Autumntales, started playing. They came back on stage and seemed a bit changed, somehow more relaxed (after performing their new material for the first time had clearly been a success), and the girls had taken off their shoes. This reminded me of the old Lyriel days, when our skirts and hair were long and being barefoot at a show happened once in a while. This second set consisted of another nine songs, all from their first three albums. They started off with "Surrender in Dance", and as the title suggests there was a lot of dancing and jumping on stage and in front of it. A bit later, when they played "Regen", the first song they ever did in German, it came clear that a lot of the people present were in fact familiar with the older material, as quite a few were able to join in when it was the crowd's turn to sing along. The very last song for the night was "Paranoid Circus", title song of Lyriel's third album and first music video they did, which now has about 401,000 plays.

Over all, this was probably the best of the ten-or-so Lyriel shows I ever attended. With Tim Sonnenstuhl they added a second guitarist to the band, which obviously has a lot of advantages, because there's only so much a single person can do. Also, Linda (cello) is doing more backing vocals than ever, which is definitely another plus. The fact that they upped the number of German songs from only one to now three proves an advantage when playing in front of a German speaking crowd – which is the number one target audience of the band at the moment. After the show, Lyriel were hanging out and signing at the merch table as they always do. I grabbed one each of the brand new shirts and stickers. The next morning, the official Lyriel Facebook profile was already full of stoked wallposts about their show, so I guess everyone there was having just as much fun as me.

First set (Leverage set):

1. When it's Coming to an End... (Leverage intro)
2. Parting
3. Side by Side
4. Everything is Coming up Roses
5. White Lilly
6. Star of the County Down
7. Aus der Tiefe
8. Repentance
9. Wenn die Engel fallen
10. The Road not Taken
11. Voices in my Head
12. Leverage

Second set:

1. First Autumn Days (Autumntales Intro)
2. Surrender in Dance
3. Prisonworld
4. Days of Yore
5. The Regret
6. Regen
7. The Wolf
8. Elderberry and Lavender
9. Wild Birds
10. Paranoid Circus

Links:

Official Band Website
Facebook Page