Meredead

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Meredead
Meredead.jpg
Cover art by Stefan Heilemann
Studio album by
Leaves' Eyes
Released22 April 2011
RecordedMastersound Studios, Steinheim, Germany, 2010-2011
Genre Symphonic metal
Length55:16
Language English, Nynorsk
Label Napalm
Producer Alexander Krull
Leaves' Eyes chronology
Njord
(2009)		Meredead
(2011)		 Symphonies of the Night
(2013)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Metal Storm (very favorable) [1]
About.com Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Metal UndergroundStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Femme Metal(95/100) [4]
Metal TempleStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Rockfreaks.net(7/10) [6]

Meredead is the fourth studio album by the German/Norwegian symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes. It was released on 22 April 2011 on Napalm Records. The Deluxe Edition of the album contains a bonus DVD with five songs from a live performance recorded at the Metal Female Voices Fest, in Wieze, Belgium, on 24 October 2010.

Contents

Title

The title is inspired [7] by the Old English compound noun meredēað, literally "sea-death", which is attested (in the genitive plural meredēaða) in the passage rodor swipode meredēaða mǣst, literally: "the greatest quantity of sea-deaths scourged the skies", in Exodus , the second poem of the Junius manuscript, in the section telling the story of the Crossing of the Red Sea. [8] Alternatively, meredēað could be translated as "sea of death" or "deadly sea" in view of a later passage in the same text: meredēað geswealh, literally "sea-death swallowed". [9] On her website, Liv Kristine explicitly recommends Marsden 2004, and quotes the explanation for meredēað given in the book, saying that Meredead could be translated as "dead by the sea". [7]

Track lists

All lyrics are written by Liv Kristine Espenæs; all music is composed by Alexander Krull and Thorsten Bauer, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Spirits' Masquerade" 6:31
2."Étaín" 3:58
3."Velvet Heart" 3:42
4."Kråkevisa" ("Crow's Ballad")traditional4:34
5."To France" (Mike Oldfield cover)Mike Oldfield4:37
6."Meredead" ("The Deadly Sea") 5:19
7."Sigrlinn" 8:47
8."Mine tåror er ei grimme" ("My Tears Are Not Hideous") 2:54
9."Empty Horizon" 4:58
10."Veritas" ("Truth") 0:48
11."Nystev" ("New Stave")traditional4:39
12."Tell-Tale Eyes" 3:58
Bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."Sorhleod" ("Song of Sorrow")5:04
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Melusine" 3:34
15."Legend Land" (acoustic)Espenæs, Krull, Bauer, Chris Lukhaup, Mathias Röderer.3:46
Deluxe edition bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."Njord" 
2."My Destiny" 
3."Ragnarok" 
4."Elegy" 
5."Frøya's Theme" 

Personnel

Leaves' Eyes

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Chart (2011)Peak
position
German Albums Chart [10] 32
Ultratop Belgian Chart (Flanders) [11] 97
UK Indie Chart [12] 37
US Top Heatseekers [13] 37
US Independent Albums [12] 134

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaves' Eyes</span> German symphonic metal band

Leaves' Eyes is a symphonic metal band from Germany and Norway. They were formed in 2003 by Liv Kristine, formerly the lead singer of Theatre of Tragedy, and the entire line-up of Atrocity. To date, the band has released eight studio albums, a single, six EPs, one live album and a DVD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liv Kristine</span> Norwegian singer

Liv Kristine Espenæs is a Norwegian singer who has performed and composed songs mostly for various subgenres of heavy metal music. She started her career in the music industry as a vocalist for the gothic metal band Theatre of Tragedy, and is the former lead vocalist for the symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes. She is known for her work in close association with her then-husband and leader of the German band Atrocity, Alexander Krull. Currently she is a singer of a German band Midnattsol alongside her younger sister Carmen Elise Espenæs. She also released a number of solo albums in various genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atrocity (band)</span> German heavy metal band

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midnattsol</span> German gothic/folk metal band

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<i>Vinland Saga</i> (album) 2005 studio album by Leaves Eyes

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. 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".

<i>Lovelorn</i> (album) 2004 studio album by Leaves Eyes

Lovelorn is the debut studio album by the Norwegian/German symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes, released in 2004. Almost all vocals on the album are by Liv Kristine, but there are also some death growls by Alexander Krull.

<i>Legend Land</i> 2006 EP by Leaves Eyes

Legend Land is an EP by the symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes, released on June 2, 2006 as a follow-up to the album Vinland Saga. Almost all vocals are by Liv Kristine, but there are also some death growls in the tracks "Legend Land", "Viking's Word", and "The Crossing" provided by Alexander Krull.

<i>Elegy</i> (EP) 2005 EP by Leaves Eyes

Elegy is a maxi-single/EP by symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes, released on 2 May 2005. Almost all vocals are by the Norwegian singer Liv Kristine, with some backing "growls" by her husband Alexander Krull. The song "Elegy" is taken from the then upcoming album Vinland Saga, and a further track from that album, "Solemn Sea" is also included in demo form. The rest of the tracks are exclusive to this release, but unlike the following EP Legend Land, they do not share the Vinland theme.

<i>Nordlys</i> (album) 2008 studio album by Midnattsol

Nordlys is the second full-length studio album by the German symphonic/folk metal band Midnattsol. It was released on 28 March 2008 through Napalm Records.

<i>Where Twilight Dwells</i> 2005 studio album by Midnattsol

Where Twilight Dwells is the debut full-length studio album by the German symphonic/folk metal band Midnattsol. It was released on 31 January 2005 through Napalm Records.

<i>My Destiny</i> (EP) 2009 EP by Leaves Eyes

My Destiny is a Maxi single/EP by the symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes, released on 24 July 2009. The songs "My Destiny" and "Northbound" are extracts from the then upcoming album Njord. The rest of the tracks are exclusive to this release.

<i>Njord</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Leaves Eyes

Njord is the third studio album by the German/Norwegian symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes, released on 28 August 2009 on Napalm Records. Njörðr comes from Norse mythology and is a name associated to the Vanir god of the sea and the wind.

Enter My Religion is the second album by Leaves' Eyes female vocalist and lyricist Liv Kristine. It was released in 2006 on Roadrunner Records.

Skintight is the third album by Leaves' Eyes female vocalist and lyricist Liv Kristine. It was released in August 2010 on Napalm Records.

<i>Okkult</i> 2013 studio album by Atrocity

Okkult is the eighth studio album by the heavy metal band Atrocity. It was released in 2013 on Napalm Records. With this album, the band returned to a death-metal sound, but also incorporated a symphonic metal edge.

<i>Symphonies of the Night</i> 2013 studio album by Leaves Eyes

Symphonies of the Night is the fifth studio album by the German/Norwegian symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes. It was released in Europe on 15 November 2013, and in the US on 26 November 2013, through Napalm Records. The record was produced by Alexander Krull at Mastersound Studio, Germany and features album artwork by Stefan Heilemann. Like previous albums, Symphonies of the Night features songs sung in different languages, including English, Shakespearean English, Norwegian, French and Irish. The album title was said to be inspired by Symphony of the Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky.

<i>King of Kings</i> (Leaves Eyes album) 2015 studio album by Leaves Eyes

King of Kings is the sixth studio album by the German symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes. It contains guest appearances of Simone Simons from the Dutch symphonic metal band Epica and Lindy-Fay Hella from the Norwegian dark folk act Wardruna. It is their last album with Liv Kristine on vocals.

Vervain is the fifth album by female vocalist and lyricist Liv Kristine. It was released in 2014 on Napalm Records.

<i>Sign of the Dragonhead</i> 2018 studio album by Leaves Eyes

Sign of the Dragonhead is the seventh studio album of the German symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes. It is their first full-length release with Elina Siirala as lead vocalist, following Liv Kristine's departure in 2016.

<i>The Aftermath</i> (Midnattsol album) 2018 studio album by Midnattsol

The Aftermath is the fourth studio album by the German Symphonic/folk metal band Midnattsol. It was released in 2018 on Napalm Records.

References

  1. ↑ "Leaves' Eyes - Meredead". Metal Storm. 18 September 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  2. ↑ Simms, Kelley. "Leaves' Eyes - 'Meredead'". Heavy Metal. About.com . Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  3. ↑ "Leaves' Eyes - "Meredead" (CD)". Metal Underground.com. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  4. ↑ Cannella, Tony (15 May 2012). "Leaves' Eyes - "Meredead" (2011)". Femme Metal Webzine. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  5. ↑ Mitsakos, Yiannis (9 May 2011). "Leaves' Eyes - Meredead". Metal Temple.com. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  6. ↑ Larsen, Tim (13 June 2011). "Leaves' Eyes - Meredead". Rockfreaks.net. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Leaves' Eyes - "Meredead" sample and own words by Liv Kristine". Leaves' Eyes Official Website. Leaves' Eyes. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  8. ↑ Marsden, Richard (2004). The Cambridge Old English reader. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 140. ISBN   0521-45612-6 . Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  9. ↑ Marsden, Richard (2004). The Cambridge Old English reader. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 143. ISBN   0521-45612-6 . Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  10. ↑ "Album – Leaves' Eyes, Meredead". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts . Retrieved 19 April 2014.[ dead link ]
  11. ↑ "Leaves' Eyes - Meredead". Ultratop (in Dutch). Media Control Charts . Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Napalm Records Chart Results". Napalm Records. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  13. ↑ "Meredead Billboard Alnums". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 19 April 2014.
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