French-Norwegian symphonic metal institution SIRENIA will unveil their tenth studio album, “Riddles, Ruins & Revelations,” this Friday, February 12 via Napalm Records. The 11-track album skillfully portrays the band’s multifaceted nature and offers a versatile symphonic metal vortex through splicing heavy sounds with modern influences.
After releasing catchy first single “Addiction No. 1” in late 2020, followed by smashing “We Come To Ruins” shortly after, the four-piece around mastermind, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter and producer Morten Veland now offers another surprise and presents the third single, “Voyage Voyage“, a cover of Desireless’ 1986 hit. With this bonus track on “Riddles, Ruins & Revelations,” SIRENIA once again successfully combine symphonic soundscapes with electronic vibes, showcasing a whole new facet of their ability while staying true to their roots at the same time. Presented in her mother tongue, the lyrics fit perfectly for France-based singer Emmanuelle Zoldan.
Mastermind Morten Veland on choosing “Voyage Voyage” for the album: “As our new album is influenced by the eighties to some extent, we thought it would be fitting to do a cover version from this era, and include it as a bonus track on the album. ‘Voyage Voyage’ by the artist Desireless is one of my favourite songs from this decade and it was a very interesting song to cover. In terms of covers, I love to find songs from a completely different genre and then put SIRENIA‘s touch and sound to it. It never made any sense to me to do a cover version of a different rock or metal band, as the versions would end up too similar anyway.”
With “Riddles, Ruins & Revelations,” SIRENIA 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 auditory 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 along the way that absolutely need to be discovered.
The album opener, “Addiction No. 1”, immediately showcases the modern and electronic direction SIRENIA are aiming in with their new epos, while “This Curse Of Mine”, for example, bumps in with heavy riffs. 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, not only evident on this final epos, but on “Riddles, Ruins & Revelations” as a whole.
Morten Veland on the album: “‘Riddles, Ruins & Revelations’ is SIRENIA’s tenth studio album. The album is very diverse, as a SIRENIA album should be. There’s a lot of material that shows the band from a new side, and there is lots of material that is to be expected from the band musically. All in all, the album will take listeners through a journey that will cover both familiar and unexplored musical landscapes. We hope that you will enjoy the journey.”
Pre-order “Riddles, Ruins & Revelations” here.
“Riddles, Ruins & Revelations” Album Artwork
“Riddles, Ruins & Revelations” track listing:
1. Addiction No. 1
2. Towards An Early Grave
3. Into Infinity
4. Passing Seasons
5. We Come To Ruins
6. Downwards Spiral
7. Beneath The Midnight Sun
08. The Timeless Waning
09. December Snow
10. This Curse Of Mine
11. Voyage Voyage
SIRENIA is:
- Morten Veland / Guitars, bass, vocals, keyboards, programming
- Nils Courbaron / Lead guitar
- Emmanuelle Zoldan / Vocals
- Michael Brush / Drums
