Vinland Saga is the second full-length album by the symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes, released in 2005. It is a concept album that tells the story of the voyage of the Norse explorer Leif Erikson and his discovery of Vinland (a.k.a. Newfoundland). The main vocals are by the Norwegian singer Liv Kristine, but some harsh vocals performed by her husband and producer Alexander Krull can be heard on the songs "Solemn Sea", "The Thorn", and "New Found Land".
| Vinland Saga | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover design by Stefan Heilemann | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 30 May 2005 | |||
| Recorded | Mastersound Studio, Fellbach/Stuttgart, Germany, 2005 | |||
| Genre | Symphonic metal | |||
| Length | 45:43 | |||
| Language | English, Norwegian | |||
| Label | Napalm | |||
| Producer | Alexander Krull | |||
| Leaves' Eyes chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Vinland Saga | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| PopMatters |   [2] |
| Metal Hammer (GER) | [3] |
| Exclaim! | (favorable)[4] |
A limited edition version of the album was released on 7 November 2006, which included two bonus tracks, a making-of video, an interview with Liv Kristine, as well as the music video produced for the single "Elegy" .
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Liv Kristine Espenæs; all music is composed by Alexander Krull, Thorsten Bauer, Mathias Röderer and Christopher Lukhaup
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Vinland Saga" | 3:12 |
| 2. | "Farewell Proud Men" | 4:04 |
| 3. | "Elegy" | 5:07 |
| 4. | "Solemn Sea" | 3:44 |
| 5. | "Leaves' Eyes" | 3:59 |
| 6. | "The Thorn" | 4:05 |
| 7. | "Misseri (Turn Green Meadows Into Grey)" | 3:50 |
| 8. | "Amhrán (Song of the Winds)" (instrumental) | 2:48 |
| 9. | "New Found Land" | 3:28 |
| 10. | "Mourning Tree" | 4:03 |
| 11. | "Twilight Sun" | 3:22 |
| 12. | "Ankomst" ("The Arrival") | 3:55 |
| Total length: | 45:43 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Heal" | 3:58 |
| 14. | "For Amelie" (new version) | 3:37 |
| Total length: | 53:18 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Elegy" (music video) | 4:32 |
| 2. | "Interview (directed by Robert Suß)" | 7:35 |
| 3. | "Making of a Saga (directed by Robert Suß)" | 4:03 |
| Total length: | 16:10 | |
Personnel
editLeaves' Eyes
edit- Liv Kristine Espenæs - lead vocals, keyboards
- Alexander Krull - death grunts, keyboards, programming, samples
- Thorsten Bauer - guitars, keyboards
- Mathias Röderer - guitars, keyboards
- Christopher Lukhaup - bass, keyboards
- Moritz Neuner - drums, percussion, keyboards
Additional musicians
edit- Robert & Johannes Suß, Norman Sickinger, Christof Kutzers, Anders Oddsberg, Steven Willems, Simone Sacco, Gunnar Sauermann, Sascha Henneberger, Markus Bruder, Jochen Steinsdorfer, Ralf Oechsle - backing vocals on "New Found Land"
- Timon Birkhofer - cello and piano on "Elegy", harp on "Amhran"
- Jana Kallenberg - violin
Production
edit- Produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Alexander Krull at Mastersound Studios
- Assistant recording engineers: Mathias Röderer, Thorsten Bauer, Chris Lukhaup, Robert Suß
Charts
edit| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums Chart[5] | 62 |
References
edit- ^ "Leaves' Eyes - Vinland Saga". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ Begrand, Adrien (2 October 2005). "Leaves' Eyes: Vinland Saga". PopMatters. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ "Vinland Saga Suchergebnis". Metal Hammer. June 2005. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ Taylor, Laura (August 2005). "Leaves' Eyes - Vinland Saga". Exclaim.ca. Exclaim!. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ "Album – Leaves' Eyes, Vinland Saga". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 19 April 2014.[dead link]
- Vinland Saga (CD Booklet). Leaves' Eyes. Eisenerz, Austria: Napalm Records. 2005. NPR 164.
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