Earlier this year I fell head over heels in love with Kari Rueslatten's magnificent Time To Tell I think now I have finally found a record that is not only on par with that masterwork but also brings in a metal side. Liv Kristine's new effort Vervain is a record that captures the imagination with soaring aria's, top notch songwriting, and a mix of male and female vocals that is wonderfully memorable. Vervain is the sort of record that you know will be special from the first song. This is artsy heavy metal at its finest and I don't want to stop listening to it!
I think the mix of delicate female vocals and powerful guitar parts is perfectly executed here. Whereas normally this sort of thing feels forced and contrived, Kristine manages to pull it off perfectly within the confines of her work. Songs like the eponymous track Vervain are driving without sounding pretentious making her record rather fun to listen too. The ooh ooh's and aah aah's that accent a lot of the songs also come across very nicely, adding to the majesty of the soudnscape and keeping things intricate and exciting. At the end of the day Liv Kristine has a simply beautiful voice and that's what keeps me coming back time and time again
Make no mistake Vervain is a masterpiece, and the fact that I normally despise female fronted symphonic metal and yet adore this record is evidence as to how tight Liv Kristine is. These are songs that wash over you and enhance the spirit. Kristine understands what we want out of symphonic metal and she deliver it with a profound skill that I think few of her peers could even dream of matching. Let these songs consume you, here is a woman who has done something incredibly special and along with her band are worthy of much honor and praise.
Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/LivKristineOfficial
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