Sirenia - The Seventh Life Path (2015)

×

Sirenia - The Seventh Life Path (2015)

Close

It seems our problems oftentimes solve themselves, no doubt evident in the case of Sirenia and the second wind they have been riding for the past few years. After stinking up the scene with Monika Pedersen and subsequently wasting most of Ailyn's talent on two discursive and plastic-sounding symphonic… something albums in The 13th Floor and The Enigma of Life, Perils of the Deep Blue brushed the slate clean by virtue of the obvious: returning to what worked on the band's earliest albums. Variety returned in the form of epics like "Stille kom døden," and the end result was obviously one worth remembering. Naturally the question going into The Seventh Life Path is whether or not the band decided to maintain this momentum, wherein they marginally favor the metallic elements over the proclivity to overemphasize all manner of distractions.

Thankfully, this is indeed the case, and I dare say that Veland manages to beat At Sixes and Sevens at its own game at several points throughout this record, a revelation certain to perk many an ear up. Returned with open arms is the melting pot of dark, rich atmosphere and loose compositional clout that underpins Sirenia's riveting individual style, something that was a mere pipe dream only a few years ago. Ailyn's arching melodic sensibility and significantly improved singing voice goes a long way to solidify her growing importance to the band as a collective unit, rather than the "Veland and friends" circus that the band found themselves entrenched within at more than a few junctures. The Seventh Life Path sounds just as huge and sweeping as expected, yet it avoids the dreaded claptrap of superficiality that oftentimes fouls up female fronted fare of such caliber.

Whether or not the guitars are working their burly magic in the distance, Morten has developed such a fine ear for the keyboards that he grants himself the luxury of extended orchestral tangents, most evident on "Concealed Disdain," which is stuffed to the gills with diversity and exists as one in a number of consecutive six-plus minute tour de forces that comprise the entire second half of the record. Although I still find myself missing the quick and cheerful radio fodder numbers like "Lost in Life," "The Other Side" and "My Mind's Eye," The Seventh Life Path excels definitively in regards to its procession, something its direct predecessor couldn't even boast. "Sons of the North" is meant to be the true epic of the album, but its lasting power wanes cumulatively as each track after it manages to hit just about every mark without apprehension or falter. This is where Sirenia clearly excels, and Veland gladly opens his bag of tricks and delivers more than a few monster guitar progressions alongside some of the best vocal lines Ailyn has crooned up to this point. "The Silver Eye" opens and returns to a tremolo riff that sounds straight out of Oathbound-era Summoning, as strange as that may sound, and "Earendel" has plenty of meat on its bones, featuring guitar progressions redolent of "In My Darkest Hours," which was always a favorite of mine.

Although one may instinctively expect the band to bounce back and forth between two climes depending on whether or not the guitars are accentuated, some sort of happy medium is struck throughout, likely most evident on "Contemptuous Quitus," which reminds me of some of the stronger moments on An Elixir for Existence. All of this tension builds to a head and is released on the spectacular closer "Tragedienne," which is just… ridiculously morose and moving. It serves as a striking, delicate and crisp flood of ambiance hardly expected after the grand and majestic "The Silver Eye." Those who are heavily enamored by the voluminous, opulent patina of Sirenia's first two records will undoubtedly find The Seventh Life Path a logical continuance of such. This actually edges out Perils of the Deep Blue for me personally, mainly because I find myself continually enamored by more than half of the album, which features a level of quality we were only spoonfed on prior material. To be frank, I wasn't particularly concerned about whether or not Veland would bring it this time around, but the level to which he did certainly surprised me a fair bit. Great album and proof that Perils of the Deep Blue wasn't a fluke.

www.metal-archives.com