SIRENIA will release its tenth studio album, “Riddles, Ruins & Revelations”, on February 12, 2021 via Napalm Records. On this magical output, the French-Norwegian quartet combines a heavy symphonic sound with modern influences, The follow-up to 2018’s “Arcane Astral Aeons” sees SIRENIA offering an exciting new twist to its songs, spicing them with electronic vibes, but never losing sight of their musical core. “Riddles, Ruins & Revelations” was produced, mixed and mastered by mastermind Morten Veland.
The official music video for the first single, “Addiction No. 1” can be seen below. As the album opener, it immediately showcases the direction SIRENIA is aiming for with the new opus, and is a prime example of how modern melodies chime together with classic symphonic instrumentation. Electronic vibes merge with harsh riffing, while the catchy chorus draws the listener straight into the unique symphonic world of the four-piece, all topped with the outstanding vocals of Emmanuelle Zoldan.
Veland comments: “This is our first single taken from the upcoming album. Musically I feel that this song really shows a modernized and new side of SIRENIA. I find the song very catchy, but heavy at the same time. Furthermore we have given the electronic elements a bigger role in this song. We hope you’ll enjoy it!”
With “Riddles, Ruins & Revelations”, SIRENIA remains as true to the album title word-play as it does to its 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 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.
Veland comments: “‘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 the listeners through a journey that will cover both familiar and unexplored musical landscapes. We hope that you will enjoy the journey.”
“Riddles, Ruins & Revelations” track listing:
01. Addiction No. 1
02. Towards An Early Grave
03. Into Infinity
04. Passing Seasons
05. We Come To Ruins
06. Downwards Spiral
07. 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
Photo credit: Richelle ter Heege
