Njord is the third studio album by the German/Norwegian symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes, released on 28 August 2009 on Napalm Records.[6] Njörðr comes from Norse mythology and is a name associated to the Vanir god of the sea and the wind.
| Njord | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover design by Stefan Heilemann | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 26 August 2009 | |||
| Recorded | Mastersound Studios, Steinheim, Germany, 2009 | |||
| Genre | Symphonic metal | |||
| Length | 55:56 | |||
| Language | English, Norwegian | |||
| Label | Napalm | |||
| Producer | Alexander Krull | |||
| Leaves' Eyes chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Njord | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| About.com | [2] |
| BBC | (positive)[3] |
| Sputnikmusic | [4] |
| Sea of Tranquility | [5] |
In this album the band used for the first time a full orchestra and choir and wrote for them suitable arrangements.
The album was also released in a digipak deluxe edition, including two bonus tracks and a model of a Viking longship with Leaves' Eyes logo on the sail.[7]
Track listing edit
All lyrics are written by Liv Kristine Espenæs; all music is composed by Alexander Krull, Mathias Röderer, Thorsten Bauer, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Njord" | 6:14 | |
| 2. | "My Destiny" | 4:13 | |
| 3. | "Emerald Island" | 5:24 | |
| 4. | "Take the Devil in Me" | 3:51 | |
| 5. | "Scarborough Fair" | Traditional | 4:04 |
| 6. | "Through Our Veins" | 3:40 | |
| 7. | "Irish Rain" | 4:01 | |
| 8. | "Northbound" | 4:23 | |
| 9. | "Ragnarok" | 5:11 | |
| 10. | "Morgenland" ("The Morning Land") | 2:54 | |
| 11. | "The Holy Bond" | 3:41 | |
| 12. | "Frøya's Theme" | 8:20 | |
| Total length: | 55:56 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Landscape of the Dead" | 4:36 |
| 14. | "Les Champs de Lavande" ("Lavender Fields") | 2:41 |
| Total length: | 63:13 | |
Personnel edit
Leaves' Eyes edit
- Liv Kristine Espenæs – vocals
- Alexander Krull – vocals, keyboards, programming, samples
- Thorsten Bauer – guitars, bass
- Mathias Röderer – guitars
- Alla Fedynitch – bass (credited, but does not appear on the album)
- Seven Antonopoulos – drums
Additional musicians edit
- Lingua Mortis Orchestra from Minsk, Belarus, directed by Victor Smolski
- Al dente Choir from Kleinbottwar, Germany, directed by Veronika Messmer
- Christian Roch - Uilleann pipes and whistles on "Scarborough Fair" and "Irish Rain"
- Anette Gulbrandsen - backing vocals on "Northbound"
- Gunnar Sauermann, Cristoph Sutzer, Robert Suß, Uwe Fichtner, Markus Rutten, Steven Willems, Stefan Heilemann - Vikings on "Njord"
Production edit
- Alexander Krull - producer, engineer, mixing and mastering at Mastersound Studios
- Mathias Röderer, Thorsten Bauer - assistant engineers
- Victor Smolski - orchestra recording engineer
Charts edit
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Flander Albums Chart (Ultratop)[8] | 58 |
| Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart (Ultratop)[9] | 82 |
| German Albums Chart (Media Control)[10] | 30 |
| Swiss Albums Chart[11] | 88 |
| UK Indie Chart[12] | 40 |
| US Independent Albums[12] | 105 |
Release history edit
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain, Finland | 26 August 2009[7] | Napalm Records | Compact disc |
| Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Benelux, France | 28 August 2009[7] | Napalm Records | Compact disc |
| Internationally | 28 August 2009[13] | Napalm Records | Deluxe CD packaging containing Viking Longship model and extra sticker (limited to 500 copies) |
| The rest of Europe | 31 August 2009[7] | Napalm Records | Compact disc |
| Canada | 1 September 2009[7] | Napalm Records | Compact disc |
| United States | 29 September 2009[7] | Napalm Records | Compact disc |
References edit
- ^ Freeman, Phil. "Leaves' Eyes - Njord review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ Bowar, Chad. "Leaves' Eyes - 'Njord'". Heavy Metal. About.com. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ Moffitt, Greg (2009). "Leaves' Eyes Njord review". BBC Music. BBC. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ Spencer, Trey (1 September 2009). "Leaves' Eyes Njord review". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ Pierce, Ken (20 November 2009). "Leaves' Eyes: Njord review". Sea of Tranquility.org. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ "Leaves' Eyes: My Destiny EP track listing revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 19 June 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f "LEAVES' EYES To Release 'Njord' As Viking Longship Model Edition". Blabbermouth.net. 4 August 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ "Leaves' Eyes - Njord". Ultratop (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ^ "Leaves' Eyes - Njord". Ultratop (in French). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ^ "Album – Leaves' Eyes, Njord". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 19 April 2014.[dead link]
- ^ "Leaves' Eyes - Njord". Hitparade.ch (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Napalm Records Chart Results". Napalm Records. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ^ "Njord - Leaves' Eyes, CD & Viking ship". EMP Merchandising. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
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