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Tag Archives: Liv Kristine
PREVIEW: New Music Friday – Rock and Metal Releases 3-1-24
Ghost Cult’s Weekly Ritual LIVE Rock and Metal News Show 6-2-23
Catch up on what you missed this week in the world of Rock and Metal news with our show! #musicnews #rocknews #interviews #newmusicfriday #metalfestivals #tourdates #metalconcerts #vinylcollector #metalmerch
INTERVIEW: Liv Kristine on “River of Diamonds” and Remaining Authentic
River Of Diamonds, the 2023 return album from the sensational and highly regarded Liv Kristine, is one of the most meaningful and sweeping rock releases of the year. Planting her feet and owning her space in the scene with both tell-tale sincerity and a firm yet graceful demeanor, Liv deserves nothing but respect for her talent and dedication to the arts and the years of musical enchantment she has gifted fans. It was wonderful to discuss her new record and how to spot the lights in the dark. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Liv Kristine – River Of Diamonds
Gothic rock Norwegian heroine Liv Kristine is integrity personified when it comes to representing her chosen genres, the ideal ambassador of grace, fun, shimmery, and shadowy melodic reflection. River Of Diamonds (Metalville Records ) is one of her most digestible yet nonetheless compelling efforts yet, the closest comparison is a merging of a lighter variant of the love rock of H.I.M. with the captivating gothic roots she is known for.
New Music Friday 4-21-23 Preview
Leaves’ Eyes – Sign Of The Dragonhead
After switching over to a new vocalist in April 2016, following the seemingly acrimonious departure of Liv Kristine, Leaves’ Eyes presents their first album with Elina Siirala on vocals. The new record is titled Sign Of The Dragonhead (AFM), and once again dives Dragonhead first into Nordic mythology and culture. Continue reading
Cradle Of Filth – Cryptoriana, The Seductiveness Of Decay
The world of Extreme Metal (at least in the UK) experiences a strange phenomena whenever Cradle of Filth prepare to release a new album. Thousands of inexplicably angry internet voices all join in unison with pre-prepared mantras of, “just another watered down Cradle album”, “they’ve been shit since Principle/Dusk/Cruelty/Midian” (delete as applicable), and “Dani sounds fucking terrible these days”. Sometimes after only hearing one song, or on occasion, none at all.Continue reading
Orden Ogan – Gunmen
Credit where credit is due. It’s not often that genuine contenders rear their heads once their career is already up and running… the anointed have usually been identified and lauded from early whether in sports, art, music, whatever, it is rare for a band to be established and then to suddenly stick their head above the parapet seemingly as if from out of nowhere as one of the best there is. With Gunmen (AFM), though, Orden Ogan have done just that, the Germans producing one of this years’ best Power/Heavy Metal offerings.Continue reading
The Great Discord – Duende
To find any release in this day and age that shows any degree of being unique is a rarity; a prime example being the array of bands that are ushered into the Prog umbrella despite such close resemblances to their peers. So the fact that upcomers The Great Discord have created something that sounds fresh and cutting edge, and on their début release is quite astonishing.
Taken from a term loosely meaning a heightened state of expression or emotion, Duende (Metal Blade) sets the mind-boggling right from the start. First song ‘The Aging Man’ creeps into life with an atmospheric passage with a haunting chant like vocal in the background, seemingly setting up for something near melodic and progressive black metal territory before it spins into an entirely new direction more akin to a Meshuggah influence. Just as things begin to feel like they are settling they take a dynamic shift once again, altering between such staccato riffing, to more morose, drifting melodies through to the grandiose. Strikingly these mismatched styles never appear disjointed or thrown together.
The perfect complement to this sheer diversity is Fia Kempe’s chameleon like vocals. For the most part delicate and even seductive; her execution moulds perfectly to each and every pace and style; even encompassing harsh vocals on the heavier ‘Selfaeta’ and even a mournful tone on the ballad ‘Woes’, reminiscent of the likes of Tarja or Liv Kristine.
For a début album to show some signs of true forward thinking on any level is impressive enough, but for The Great Discord to show such high levels of progressive movement in their range of styles, their execution and even to their mystique and cinematic vision shows that they are a band to look at for the future. At times it is easy to pinpoint influences to some degree, but very few acts can display such a wide range and make it sound both their own and all flowing.
8.0/10
CHRIS TIPPELL