Sirenia - Riddles, Ruins & Revelations (2021)

With Riddles, Ruins & Revelations, SIRENIA, around mastermind, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter and producer Morten Veland, remains as true to their album title word-play as they do to their dedication to symphonic soundscapes, drawing the listener into a pounding narrative about the darkest aspects of life. All eleven songs accumulate step by step to an integral sound artwork, where the versatile mezzo soprano voice of singer Emmanuelle Zoldan always shines in high-profile. In addition, there are many enchanting, instrumental surprises lurking on the way that absolutely need to be discovered.

“We Come To Ruins” offers a contrast of harshness to the more modern-orientated songs on the record, like “The Timeless Waning”, and skillfully portrays the multi-faceted nature of the band. On “Downwards Spiral”, Emmanuelle is supported by the remarkable voice of longtime friend Joakim Næss on clean vocals, who has joined the symphonic metal outfit on previous releases. SIRENIA’s tenth full-length ends with a cover of Desireless` 1986 hit “Voyage Voyage”, where the unit again impressively combines symphonic sounds with electronic atmosphere, which doesn’t count only for this final epos, but for Riddles, Ruins & Revelations as a whole.