Main
Updates
North Coast News
Interviews
Articles
Albums
Movies
Shows
Pictures
Letters
Archives
Guestbook
Contact Us
Staff
Links

Sometimes, bad things are just blessings in disguise...well, that's what my Mother always told me. It seems that my Mum was right about some things, because Liv Kristine has been living just that for the last few years. After being unceremoniously dumped from her last band (Theatre of Tragedy), Liv has roared back with Leaves' Eyes, one of the most talked about bands in the Nordic metal scene. Backed by her husband Alexander Krull's band Atrocity, her latest CD "Vinland Saga" is poised to take Europe and the world by storm. Recently, I got the chance to ask her about the new album, as well as old dramas...

Taliesin Govannon: Your new album, 'Vinland Saga', is a killer.  It's a concept album about the voyage to the new world by Leif Eriksson in ancient times.  What led you to do an album along these lines?
Liv Kristine: I started writing the concept and the lyrics after having recorded about 8 or 9 songs. The music itself inspired me to go back in history and concentrate on a certain point in the Viking's history.

TG: Is that a real orchestra on the album?
LK: Yes, it is. We decided to replace the classical samplers by real classical instruments. Thus the recordings took a bit longer than on the first album, however, I believe that this step has influenced our sound very much.

TG: The combination of English and Norwegian lyrics are particularly haunting.  Was singing in both languages in one sone something you've wanted to do for a while?
LK: I had initially written all the lyrics in English, but the guys told me to translate some of the parts into Norwegian. To sing in Norwegian, my mother tongue, makes the song even more personal. I had to get used to this feeling first, but now I'm fine with it.

TG: As a student of pre-Christian Pagan mythology myself, I found the Norse mythological elements on the album quite intriguing.  Is this by-product of your upbringing, or a more recent discovery?
LK: We do learn a lot about the history of the Vikings in Norwegian schools. .The Pre-Christian times were among my favorite themes. Even before going to school I had read and heard a lot about the Vikings as I used to read and watch cartoons about them and afterwards ask my parents about more information. Also today the complete Viking age interests me, especially their daily lives, their journeys and the North-, West- and East-Germanic languages.

TG: 'Vinland Saga' seems to be light years ahead of your (quite impressive) debut with Leaves' Eyes, 'Lovelorn'.  To what do you attribute it?
LK: I started thinking about a concept after having recorded a number of songs for the 'Vinland Saga'. I wanted to see how the music was developing first, to make sure that the music supports and realizes the "visual" idea of the concept. Writing the concept, the lyrics and the vocal lines is my responsibility. However, we are all part of the music-making process. Having released 'Lovelorn' a year ago, which got fantastic feedback from both press and audience (to me it was just overwhelming to experience such a fantastic new start), there certainly were high expectations to live up to. I was a bit worried from the start if we were able to be better than on our debut because I'm really satisfied with "Lovelorn", too. All I can say is that all the sleepless nights and the hard work was absolutely worth it; we are all 100% satisfied with the album.

TG: You have a song called "Leaves' Eyes" on your *second* album...was this because the concept behind the name fit this album better than 'Lovelorn', or were you just waiting to write a song good enough to carry the band's name?
LK: The content of the song "Leaves' Eyes" includes the vision of leaves' eyes, i.e. that the tree's leaves has eyes which "observe" the cycle of life, nature and how history passes by. Moreover, it is a symbol of life. For the Vikings it was a symbol of the summer according the runic calendar.

TG: What is the songwriting process like in Leaves Eyes?  Is it a collaborative process or more of a single vision?
LK: Some of the ideas come from Chris (bass), Alex (vocals/producer) and Torsten (guitar), however, we are all part of the song-writing process. "Amhran" was written by me. As I mentioned above, I'm responsible for the lyrics, the conceptual idea(s) and the vocal lines. Alex is our producer, but I enjoy taking part in the production. Moreover, of course I enjoy working next to my husband! We make our recording at our own studio; Mastersound (www.mastersoundstudio.com).

TG: The album is about a Norwegian coming to the new world...any chance we'll see the Norwegians who recorded it come to these shores this year? (Personally, I would love to see a tour with your sister's band Midnattsol opening up!)
LK: That is truly a fantastic idea! To tour America is one of our main goals this year (fall). We are not sure if we should headline or go as support. We have to see what happens, but we surely are ready for America!

TG: What's the status of your solo career?
LK: I signed a record deal with Roadrunner Records last year. We are in the middle of the recordings now. The album will be released in the fall this year. This is a dream coming true for me. It's seven, eight years ago since I released my debut album 'Deus ex Machina'.

TG: Is there any hidden, untold story about your split with Theatre of Tragedy?
LK: To be kicked out of the band in the way which it happened (by a message on their homepage, nobody telling me about their decision) was bad luck, but sometimes bad luck leads to good luck: Leaves' Eyes is definitely my good luck! I'm very happy with the way things are now. What ToT are doing now is their problem. It was not my idea to leave the band.

TG: Do you still talk with anyone from Theatre of Tragedy, or are those wounds still too fresh?
LK: After 1.5 years of silence, I invited ToT to a Leaves' Eyes concert when we played in Norway, where the band lives, but the guys didn't turn up, only Nell, their new singer. We had a long and interesting talk. I hope they treat her better. As ToT played a concert in Germany a while ago I decided to go to their concert. Unfortunately, I was stuck in a traffic jam so I entered the concert hall as they were playing their last song. I went straight into the first row. The singer stopped singing and they seemed to be very shocked. As I asked them why they had fired me, they answered that the band had had a crisis and they decided to take a radical step, namely to throw their female singer out of the band (true, that was the most radical thing they could do). That was pretty easy as I am living in Germany and they (living in Norway) didn't have to face me. Their message was then posted on their homepage before me knowing what was going on.

TG: Anything else you'd like to add?
LK: I really hope to see you in the fall this year. I would love to tour America.

Visit the Leaves' Eyes website.