Midnattsol – Nordlys

Releasedate: 28-03-2008; Label: Napalm Records
By: Elvira Visser

Nordlys is the second album from of the German band around Norwegian singer Carmen Elise Espanaes. delete “.”(sister of Liv Kristine). Nordlys is Norwegian for the Northern Lights. This has always been a part of myths, sagas and legends and fits perfectly to Midnattsol.

Midnattsol was formed in 2002 when Carmen Elise Espenaes and guitarist Christian Hektor came together sharing their mutual passion for Nordic mythology. It did not take long to find the other band members Chris Merzinsky (drums), Daniel Fischer (keyboard), Birgit Öllbruner (bass) and Daniel Droste (guitar).

On this album the vocal melodies are in nice contrast with the harsh guitar riffs, but the folk is a bit lacking. They describe their band as Nordic folk metal, to me it is more symphonic metal with a good portion of bombast and folk lyrics. However the band keeps its own sound. The heaviness of the music is combined perfectly with the melody and emotion Carmen Elise contributes to the tracks. Her voice sounds like an angel and on this album even more opera-like.

This CD “Norlys” is more mainstream than their debut “Where Twilight Dwells”. The tracks have a symphonic gothic feel and great guitar riffs with solos which make this album more appealing. On this album there are three songs sung in Norwegian which does add to the folk feeling.

“Open Your Eyes” is the first song and has a nice intro and shows you the metal feeling. “Northern Light” has a nice slow guitar picking intro. Carmens voice is very pure and powerful on this track.
“Konkylie” lasts eight minutes but does not get boring. It has a nice orchestral dreamlike feeling to it. River of Virgin Soil stands out on the album. It is different and she is singing using different techniques. On this track the keyboard is contributing more. The last track “En Natt I Nord” starts with some birds sounds and a guitar riff that reminds me a bit of Amorphis, this is definitely the most folkish song on the album. Also my personal favourite.

@basement: Northern Light is the english word as well…
the aurora borealis is more the science term. At least that is what I’ve learned

Links:
Midnatsoll Official