The former vocalist, guitar player, main songwriter and text composer of TRISTANIA, Morten Veland, laid the foundation for a new contribution to the gothic/metal/rock scene a few years back. Still sworn to the darker and atmospheric genre, he now resurfaces with his new band SIRENIA with one goal in mind: to bring a fresh sound into the underground scene.
SIRENIA sounds like a mixture of gothic metal and rock with classical influences, as well as black and death metal elements. Their sounds have a solid base in the powerful drums and bass which are arranged in a very dynamic and progressive way and supported by powerful rhythm guitars, dressed with atmospheric keyboards and spiced with melancholic violins and 12-string guitars. The Vocal styles are varied and are made up by growls, screams, female vocals, clean male vocals, choirs, whispers and samples. The songs are very intense and the atmosphere changes frequently. The lyrics are based on reflections on life, death, love, hate, paranoia, anxiety and mental decline in general.
SIRENIA came together in early 2001, when Morten parted ways with his former band TRISTANIA, due to musical disagreements and personal differences. He was however at this point full of ideas and more than ready to set them free. He invested a lot in new equipment and spent much time in his home studio composing. After recording two great albums with SIRENIA ("At Sixes and Sevens" and "An Elixir For Existence") plus one EP ("Sirenian Shores"), it was time to take everything even further.
In 2006 SIRENIA signed to NUCLEAR BLAST and released “Nine Destinies And A Downfall” which turned out to sound more powerful and heavy than its 2 predecessors – the album hit the German media control charts at 54 and gained the band access to a way broader audience. In November 2007 vocalist Monika Pedersen quit the band due to musical disagreements.
The vacant position was soon filled with the young Spanish vocalist extraordinaire, Ailyn, and also a new guitar player, namely Michael S. Krumins, was announced soon. As can be heard on the new album, “The 13th Floor”, the new line-up happens to be the strongest and most powerful to date! But who could put it better than the man behind all this himself?
“Musically it's an album that takes us back in time as well as forth, we have tried to combine everything we have done throughout SIRENIA’s career musically and blended it into one massive album. Loads of power combined with melodic aspects, with all the variation and diversity that always has been the main key in SIRENIA’s sound and expression. We are really proud of the result and we think this album will satisfy the majority of our fans, the ones that have followed us from the very beginning and the ones who discovered Sirenia's music through our previous album Nine Destinies and a Downfall. We have put our hearts and souls into this album and truly hope that it will give you all some nice moments in the name of metal.”
– Morten Veland
Track listing:
1. The Path To Decay
2. Lost In Life
3. The Mind Maelstrom
4. The Seventh Summer
5. Beyond Life's Scenery
6. The Lucid Door
7. Led Astray
8. Winterborn 77
9. Sirens Of The Seven Seas
www.myspace.com/sirenia
www.mortenveland.com/sirenia/
