Sirenia

SIRENIA plays a mixture of gothic metal and rock with classical influences, as well as black and death metal elements. Their soundscapes have solid basis in the powerful drums and bass that are arranged in a very dynamic and progressive way and supported by powerful rhythm guitars, dressed with atmospheric keyboards and spiced with melancholic violins and 12-string guitars. The different vocals brought to life are many. The band makes of growls, screams, female vocals, (3 different) clean male vocals, choirs, whispers and samples. The songs are very intense and the atmosphere changes frequently. The lyrics are based on reflections on life, death, love, hate, and mental decline in general.

SIRENIA came together in early 2001, when Veland parted ways with his former band due to musical disagreements and personal differences. He was however at this point full of ideas, and more than ready to set them free. He invested a lot in new equipment and spent much time in his home studio composing. As previously mentioned, Morten was the main songwriter for Tristania and an important factor in developing their sound and identity. Now he will take it even further with SIRENIA.

Veland soon began to re-establish contact with his record company, Napalm Records, and his producer, Terje Refsnes of Sound Suite Studios. Studio time was booked for November and December 2001, and for the 6 remaining months prior to the recording, Veland worked on perfecting the songs for the upcoming album. He also recruited band mate Kristian Gundersen, a close friend and an eminent musician who shares Veland’s musical inclinations. Gundersen plays guitars and executes the clean male vocals.

In mid November, the band hit Sound Suite Studios to record 9 songs for the debut album, "At Sixes and Sevens". The female vocals on this recording were sung by the fabulous French singer Fabienne Gondamin. She added much expression to the songs with her delightful voice. Furthermore Pete Johansen (TSOTB, The Scarr) came down to contribute the violin parts. Pete is well known for his characteristic way of handling the violin and his touch added much emotion to the end result. A French choir was also hired to perform several parts on the opus, and the classically educated singers did a wonderful job. Likewise, Jan Kenneth Barkved (Elusive) lent SIRENIA his voice to produce additional clean vocals that added to the diversity of this release.