Meredead

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Meredead
File:Meredead.jpg
Cover art by Stefan Heilemann
Studio album by Leaves' Eyes
Released 22 April 2011
Recorded Mastersound Studios, Steinheim, Germany, 2011
Genre Symphonic metal, Folk metal
Length 55:16
Language English, Nynorsk
Label Napalm
Producer Alexander Krull
Leaves' Eyes chronology
Melusine
(2011)Melusine2011
Meredead
(2011)
Symphonies of the Night
(2013)Symphonies of the Night2013
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Metal Storm (very favorable)[1]
About.com 4/5 stars[2]
Metal Underground 3.5/5 stars[3]
Femme Metal (95/100)[4]
Metal Temple 7/10 stars[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.

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]

Tracklists

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

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Spirits' Masquerade"     6:31
2. "Étaín"     3:58
3. "Velvet Heart"     3:42
4. "Kråkevisa" ("Crow's Ballad") traditional 4:34
5. "To France" (Mike Oldfield cover) Mike Oldfield 4:37
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") traditional 4:39
12. "Tell-Tale Eyes"     3:58
13. "Sorhleod" ("Song of Sorrow", bonus track)   5:04

Personnel

Leaves' Eyes

  • Liv Kristine Espenæs Krull – lead and backing vocals
  • Alexander Krull – harsh vocals, keyboards, programming, samples
  • Thorsten Bauer – guitars, bass, mandolin on tracks 1, 5 and 12
  • Sander van der Meer - guitars
  • Roland Navratil - drums, percussions

Additional musicians

  • Lingua Mortis Orchestra from Minsk, Belarus, directed by Victor Smolski
  • Al dente Choir from Kleinbottwar, Germany, directed by Veronika Messmer
  • Anette Guldbrandsen - backing vocals, lead vocals on tracks 4, 8, 10, 11
  • Carmen Elise Espenæs - lead and backing vocals on track 7
  • Maite Itoiz - lead and backing vocals on tracks 2 and 6, baroque guitar on track 12
  • John Kelly - lead vocals on track 12
  • Chirstian Roch - Uilleann pipes and whistles
  • Janna Kirchhof - fiddle on tracks 2, 3 and 11, nyckelharpa on track 4

Production

  • Alexander Krull - producer, engineer, mixing and mastering at Mastersound Studios
  • Thorsten Bauer, Liv Kristine Espenæs Krull - assistant engineers
  • Victor Smolski - orchestra recording engineer
  • Orchestral arrangements by Leaves' Eyes

Charts

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

References

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