Metal Hammer of Doom: Leaves' Eyes - Sign of the Dragonhead

The MHOD reviews the latest album from Leaves' Eyes, Sign of the Dragonhead!

Leaves' Eyes is a German-Norwegian symphonic metal band from Stavanger, Norway and Ludwigsburg, Germany. They were formed in 2003 by Liv Kristine, the former lead singer of Theatre of Tragedy and the entire line-up of Atrocity. To date, the band has released six studio albums, a single, six EPs, one live album and a DVD.

Most of Leaves' Eyes' lyrics, written by Liv Kristine, concern Norse mythology and the Viking Age. The melodic singing vocals of Liv Kristine are occasionally backed up by death growled vocals from Krull, identified under the vocal style Kristine refers to as "beauty and the beast".

On April 15, 2016, the band announced they had parted ways with lead-vocalist and co-founder Liv Kristine. They also revealed that she would be replaced by the Finnish singer Elina Siirala of EnkElination. Since then both parties have given different accounts about how the split happened with the band stating a decision on Kristine's departure was taken in January. While it was stated this had been a mutual decision, Kristine disputed this and indicated she was dismissed and it was not her decision. Legal proceedings have started. On April 18, 2017 Siirala made her debut with the band at the Hammersonic festival in Jakarta. It was also announced that a tour edition of the album King of Kings is set to appear in June.