Sirenia's '1977' - Album Review

I am glad that I got back on the Sirenia train in 2021. I first started listening to the Norwegian gothic/symphonic metal act back in 2009, when the band's fourth album The 13th Floor came out - and kept picking up and devouring their albums up to and including the release of 2015's The Seventh Life Path (which I reviewed here). After that, though, the band somewhat dropped off my radar. I did not get either 2016's Dim Days of Dolor or 2018's Arcane Astral Aeons until much later, and it was not until the release of 2021's Riddles, Ruins & Revelations (which I also reviewed here) that I started to pay attention to the band again. Looking back, it is hard to say exactly why I stopped paying attention, but my interest in gothic/symphonic metal, along with power metal, definitely dipped a bit around that time - and I also think that perhaps I was getting a bit tired of Sirenia's formula by the time The Seventh Life Path rolled around. I always enjoyed the band's albums, but they can be quite heavy-going listens at times for what are essentially melodic metal releases - and bandleader Morten Veland's insistence on using rather cheap-sounding programmed drums also started to put me off. As such, until hearing Riddles, Ruins & Revelations, which I liked a lot, I had essentially missed out on the whole of the Emmanuelle Zoldan era of the band. Zoldan replaced former frontwoman Ailyn in 2016, and it is clear from the results of the 2021 album, as well as my still fairly limited explorations of the band's 2016 and 2018 releases, that the change was overall a beneficial one for Sirenia. I liked Ailyn, but I feel as if Zoldan is better suited for Veland's songwriting - and I also feel as if the band's focus has somewhat shifted since her arrival. The 2016 and 2018 releases certainly still maintained a lot of Sirenia's older sound, but by Riddles, Ruins & Revelations Veland had fully embraced a much poppier approach. For me, the 2021 album was a great blend of up-tempo electro-pop with the band's trademark gothic/symphonic metal sound. It was packed full of hooks, and it was an album that I listened to a lot around the time that it came out - and it could well be my most-played Sirenia album to date. The album attracted some pretty strong reviews, too, so it is clear that Veland wanted to capitalise on this success - and the band's newly-released eleventh studio album 1977 feels like an expansion of Riddles, Ruins & Revelations. The pop hooks of the 2021 album remain, and are sometimes more prevalent than they were previously. The gothic metal elements remain, too, but they have a light shined on them again a bit more brightly at times - although Veland's harsh vocals are deployed extremely sparsely. The overall core sound of the album remains poppy and rather synth-heavy, but towards the end there are a few heavier tracks which feel like something from Sirenia's past - so the balance between light and dark feels a bit more diverse this time. As usual, Veland has written and produced everything here - and he also played the vast majority of the instruments. Alongside Zoldan, both guitarist Nils Courbaron and drummer Michael Brush return from the previous album - with Courbaron handling all of the album's guitar solos.

The album opens strongly, but relatively serenely - as Deadlight starts out with some delicate piano melodies, which grow in stature against a backdrop of strings, before Zoldan begins to sing a lower key version of the later chorus. This melodic intro helps to set the tone nicely, but it is not long before the band crash in and the song becomes a mid-paced crunchy rocker. The piano remains present, particularly during reprises of the chorus, but the guitars take on more of a presence - with a good mix of crunchy chords and slightly funky rhythms throughout, whilst Brush's punchy drumming keeps everything moving. In many ways, the song is very typical of the album's core sound. The focus throughout is very much on Zoldan's vocal hooks, and she sounds as good as ever here. The classical tinge to her voice gives her a real elegance throughout - but the poppy hooks sound natural coming from her, too. The chorus is one of the album's hookiest moments as a result, and she blends with Veland's piano nicely - with the more metallic parts of the arrangement adding depth. Courbaron's first guitar solo here is quite simple, but it works well to enhance the chorus melodies in cutting fashion - and the song proves that Sirenia's current poppy approach still has legs. Wintry Heart opens in a similar manner, with a busy piano motif - but the song soon becomes a bit heavier overall as Veland crashes in with a big guitar riff which is backed by some double bass drum patterns from Brush. Tone-wise, the song is quite similar to Deadlight - but everything has been upped heaviness-wise. The pace is a little faster, too, so there is some looking back to the band's older work here. Veland's guitar riffing is on point throughout, mixing a crunching backing with hooky passages, whilst the piano and strings also remain to add that melodic depth. The strings are more prominent than the piano this time, though, which gives the song a more symphonic sound overall - which suits Zoldan's classical-tinged approach and allows the big chorus to hit in a dramatic fashion. Courbaron also lets rip a bit more here, with a busier guitar solo which comes to a end in a chaotic flurry of notes. The heavier nature of the song allows it to hit a little harder - and it is good to see that Sirenia have not totally abandoned this more riffy side. Nomadic returns to something more mid-paced, and goes for a more synth-heavy sound. A big synth melody opens things up - which is soon doubled by Veland's guitar to create a heavy, yet melodic, opening motif. The use of synths here rather than the piano of the previous songs ups the overall pop feeling that the song creates - but the guitars still pull their weight. The verses in general are very guitar-focused, with a surprisingly raw chugging riff seeing much of the synth backing drop away - but the chorus feels much bigger arrangement-wise thanks to a return of more prominent synth leads. The chorus is another hooky moment as a result, and the mix of tougher sections and poppier moments feels well balanced despite the pop hooks shining the brightest.

The Setting Darkness returns to the piano of the album's opening couple of songs, and, fittingly, the song has a bit of darker feel overall which harks back to the band's older albums. There are synths here, but they are generally colder and used in a more atmospheric manner - with the guitars generally dominating to allow the song to feel a bit heavier overall. This is another song which goes for a more symphonic approach, too, with Zoldan unleashing some subtle operatics during parts of the chorus - which feels more string-laced overall, in contrast to some of the colder synths used elsewhere. Despite the heavier tones, though, the song remains very hooky - and the pop melodies used throughout the album still manage to worm their way through the mix despite the more gothic overtones. This more gothic vibe continues on throughout A Thousand Scars, but the synths return to something more pop-focused - which creates quite a stark contrast from the off. Veland's main riff is pretty slow-paced and heavy, but the stabbing synths which back it are pretty upbeat - which does somewhat take the edge off of the song's doomy nature. I generally like the mix of pop and heaviness on Sirenia's recent albums, but I feel as if this song would have benefitted more from going down a heavier path. The main riff would have made for a great gothic set-up if it was not for the synths - and it would be great to hear Zoldan tackling something doomy. As things stand, though, the song is does not capitalise on its potential in my opinion. The verses are pretty low key, with synths and off-kilter drums backing Zoldan, but the chorus is another pretty strong one which includes some big vocal hooks. A later, more operatic bridge section changes tack, though, and it allows Zoldan to show off a different side of her voice - which would have fit perfectly alongside the doomy opening riff if it was not for the more typical meat of the song. The arrangement is a bit confused, then, which is a shame. Fading to the Deepest Black changes tack completely, though, and essentially presents as the heavier song which I wish A Thousand Scars had morphed into. There are still plenty of hooks here, but there is much more of a focus on traditional metal heaviness this time. Brush even launches into a blast beat occasionally, and this is how the song kicks off - which Veland lays down some fast-paced chugging over the top of. As such, the song feels like a love letter to Sirenia's past. The gothic tones are much more prominent here, and the synths are generally there to create atmospheric depth rather than pop hooks. Zoldan's vocal melodies are sufficient to carry the song melodically, and the arrangement is also more interesting - with a lengthy, clean guitar-driven, mid-section which features Veland's crooning clean vocals before Courbaron takes over with a shredding solo. Continuing on the clean guitar vibes, Oceans Away opens slowly with a hypnotic guitar melody which Zoldan soon begins to sing over. The song is essentially the album's ballad, and, as such, it is very atmospheric - despite building in heaviness towards an expansive chorus which sees Zoldan really let rip. This is probably the song here which sees her pushing herself vocally the most - or, at least, showing the most emotional depth. That classical training is put to good use here, and the dancing string backing and tough guitar rhythms help to create a bed for her - and the slower song feels fitting after the previous heavier number.

Dopamine picks up the pace again, and returns to something a bit poppier overall - despite a strong gothic overtone remaining. The heaviness and use of melody is probably perfectly balanced here, and the song is one of my favourites on the album as a result. If Sirenia are to continue this experiment with a poppier sound going forward - this is the sort of balance that I would like them to maintain. It includes a bit more of their classic sound than perhaps some of their other recent songs have, but is still pushes hooks to the fore. The guitars are perfectly crunchy throughout, and there is also a bit more of a focus on guitar leads than usual - with a few hooky melodies adding extra interest in between Zoldan's delivery. Brush changes things up a bit, too, and strays away from the more pounding approach taken elsewhere at times to lay into his double bass drums - before Courbaron lays down a great neo-classical guitar solo. As such, the song feels like a real band effort - and it brings the best out of everyone present with a knottier arrangement. Delirium maintains the heaviness, and also channels the band's gothic sound in a much bigger way - with both Veland's harsh vocals making their sole appearance on the album and Zoldan singing in a much more operatic manner. As such, the song feels very old-school - as Sirenia albums used to be full of tracks like this. I would have liked Veland to sing a bit more on this album, as his vocal presence is missed in my opinion, but this song presents a great duet between him and Zoldan - with him tackling the verses and her leading the charge during the chorus. The riffing and drumming are pretty busy again here, leading the song to be another heavier-sounding piece overall - with the pop synths used elsewhere being somewhat absent. Dense strings, choirs, and riffing characterise the song, then, and it is all the better for it. The last original song here is Timeless Desolation which returns to something poppier and more vocal focused - bringing the album's first few songs to mind. The rolling piano from those pieces returns, but there are also gothic strings employed to add depth. Zoldan sings in a more straight ahead manner here, too, the vocal hooks are pushed the fore again after a couple of songs which were more diverse in arrangement - and unsurprisingly the chorus is another strong moment. String melodies and tough riffing are used elsewhere, and the song is another good example of the band's more recent sound. The album then comes to a close with a cover of Tanita Tikaram's Twist in My Sobriety. Sirenia have taken to covering pop songs on their recent albums, and their arrangement of Tikaram's track works well in the context of the album. It very much sounds like something similar to the band's modern core sound - but some gothic strings add depth despite a strong synth presence to create the main pop hooks. It ends the album on a synthy, upbeat note - and the hooks are ones which stay with you after the song finishes. Overall, then, 1977 is another strong album from Sirenia. This album is perhaps more diverse than the previous one, and there is probably a bit more harking back to the band's more gothic sound now that their new core sound has been established. The mix works pretty well, but I would have liked to have heard from more Veland vocally - but fans of the band will enjoy this latest offering.

The album was released on 26th May 2023 via Napalm Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Deadlight.