Sirenia came… Read Full Bio ↴Sirenia is a gothic metal band from Stavanger, Norway.
Sirenia came together in early 2001, when Morten Veland parted ways with his former band Tristania due to musical disagreements and personal differences.
Sirenia combines strong melodic instrumentals, keyboard synthesis, and guitar works with light, female vocals (Fabienne Gondamin, Henriette Bordvik, Monika Pedersen, Ailyn), and currently Emmanuelle Zoldan, male death vocals, and a choir. Current band members are Morten Veland (programming, growling, clean vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards), Emmanuelle Zoldan (female vocals), Jan Erik Soltvedt (guitars) and Jonathan Perez (drums). Most of Sirenia's songs are atmospheric, yet intense with melodic backgrounds and interludes. The lyrics are concerned with human existence, emotion, and mental states.
Sirenia (at first called "Masters of Sirenia"), named after the Sirens of Greek mythology, was founded in 2001 after Morten Veland left Tristania. The band failed to find a suitable singer prior to recording in France, so they conducted auditions and found Fabienne Gondamin for the recording session of At Sixes and Sevens.
On the subsequent tour and follow-up album, An Elixir for Existence, Gondamin was replaced by Henriette Bordvik.
On September 13, 2005, it was announced that Bordvik would be leaving the band, and the search for a new singer commenced. Bordvik's replacement, Monika Pedersen of the band Sinphonia, was introduced on April 10, 2006. In the same year, Bjørnar Landa (from Artifact) joined the band as a guitarist.
Nine Destinies and a Downfall came out in February 2007. This album features more down-tuned guitars that chug and growl, with a texture not previously heard on Sirenia albums. Moreover, the male grunting and harsh vocals have been greatly reduced, with grunts only appearing on three songs: Sundown, Seven Keys and Nine Doors, and Downfall. There are occasionally clean male vocals as well, but they are used very rarely. Thus, fans who enjoyed the delicate balance between Morten Veland's harsh vocals and the female voice will likely be disappointed. On this album, the new female vocalist is front and center. Choirs are sprinkled throughout the songs, giving the music the feel familiar to Sirenia fans. This album marks a significant departure from Morten Veland's work in Tristania.
On April 9, 2008, Morten Veland announced Spanish X Factor contestant Ailyn as their new female vocalist.
On May 19th, 2008, it was announced that Bjørnar Landa left the band in order to have more time for his family and studies. He is replaced by Michael Krumins from Green Carnation.
'The 13th Floor' is the title of the new album. The release date is set to the 23rd of january 2009. Expect a melodic and powerful album in the typical Sirenia vein. The brand new single: 'The Path To Decay' will be released on December 26th and the new video from SIRENIA, will receive its online premiere on January 5, 2009 via MySpace.
The bands fifth studio album, 'The Enigma of Life' was released on January 29, 2011. Less than two months after the release of the album, Michael Krumins departed from the group to spend more time on other projects, he was replaced by Jan Erik Soltvedt.
On April 13, 2013, Sirenia announced the title of their next album on their Facebook page: Perils of the Deep Blue.
2016–2018: Dim Days of Dolor
On 29 August 2016 Sirenia revealed eighth full-length album Dim Days of Dolor before their official announcement of their new singer Emmanuelle Zoldan, a French mezzo-soprano singer from Aix-en-Provence who has worked with Sirenia for 13 years and is part of The Sirenian Choir. She has contributed to lead vocals before on the Sirenian Shores EP cover of "First We Take Manhattan" by Leonard Cohen.
In November 2017, longtime drummer Jonathan Pérez left the band and joined Green Carnation. Consequently, Sirenia temporarily again included Austrian drummer Roland Navratil, a live member who had performed with the band before.
2018–2020: Arcane Astral Aeons
On 14 August 2018, Sirenia had revealed the title of their ninth studio album Arcane Astral Aeons, along with a European tour in the fall. The album was released 26 October of the same year. A lyric video was made for the single "Love Like Cyanide" released on 21 September 2018. The song features a guest appearance by Yannis Papadopoulos from Finnish band Beast in Black.
2020–present: Riddles, Ruins & Revelations and 1977
On 8 December 2020, Sirenia announced the title of their tenth studio album Riddles, Ruins & Revelations, with the release of their first single off of the album, "Addiction No. 1". The album was released on 12 February 2021.
On 22 March 2023, the band simultaneously announced the first single which is a cover of British singer Tanita Tikaram's "Twist in My Sobriety". It is the first single that will be featured on the upcoming eleventh studio album, 1977, which is set to be released on 26 May 2023
Official site: www.sirenia.no
A Shadow of Your Own Self
Sirenia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You run for a better world
Tell me why you'd leave her
Despite all the hurt
Don't deny that you once tried to mend
The circumstances now out of hand
And don't deny your life's a living hell
Tell me now you sinner
Still lost in your secret world
Tell me now you've seen her
You know how she hurts
Don't deny that you will understand
The circumstances of pain at hand
And don't assert that we will both survive
'Cause I can't take more of life
Stretch your arms out for the fire
For another dark desire
In the fields you burn with loss again
As you dream your life away
Say: would you never walk away
On the break of a coming day
Would you end this line with me
Would you like to waste away what we've ever been?
Would you like to come along with me?
Would you like to lay to rest our insanity?
Would you like to cope for the unreal?
The song "A Shadow of Your Own Self" by Sirenia delves into the theme of a person who is lost, confused and struggling to find their way out of their painful past. The song addresses this person as a sinner who has abandoned everything they once held dear in search of a better life. The song questions why the person would leave and urges them not to deny that they once tried to fix things before letting their life completely slip out of their hand.
The lyrics also portray the sinner's world as secretive and dark, filled with hurt and pain. The song asserts that the person can't deny understanding the weight of pain on their and everyone else's shoulders. The chorus repeats the line "You're a shadow of your own self," which indicates that the person has lost their way and become a mere silhouette of who they once were. The song then goes on to ask the person if they would like to end this line of pain, the unreal and the insane by walking away with the artist.
In conclusion, "A Shadow of Your Own Self" is a powerful song that shows the plight of a person who is trying to come to terms with their past and find a better future. The song's lyrics have a sense of urgency and desperation that beautifully convey the depth of emotions that the singer is going through.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell me now you sinner
Confess your sins to me right now
You run for a better world
You try to escape to a better place
Tell me why you'd leave her
Explain why you would abandon her
Despite all the hurt
Despite causing her pain
Don't deny that you once tried to mend
Admit that you once tried to fix things
The circumstances now out of hand
But the situation has become too difficult to handle
And don't deny your life's a living hell
And don't act like your life isn't a complete disaster
You're a shadow of your own self
You barely recognize who you are anymore
Still lost in your secret world
You're still stuck in your own private universe
Tell me now you've seen her
Tell me if you've seen her suffering
You know how she hurts
You understand how much she's in pain
Don't deny that you will understand
Don't pretend that you won't eventually empathize
The circumstances of pain at hand
The pain and suffering that's happening now
And don't assert that we will both survive
And don't say that we'll make it through together
'Cause I can't take more of life
Because I can't handle anymore of this existence
Stretch your arms out for the fire
Reach out for the very thing that will destroy you
For another dark desire
For another twisted craving
In the fields you burn with loss again
You feel lost and empty once more
As you dream your life away
As you wish for a different life, trapped in your own mind
Say: would you never walk away
Tell me that you'll never abandon me
On the break of a coming day
As the dawn approaches
Would you end this line with me
Would you choose to die with me
Would you like to waste away what we've ever been?
Would you be willing to forget everything we've shared?
Would you like to come along with me?
Would you be willing to join me in death?
Would you like to lay to rest our insanity?
Would you like to finally end our madness?
Would you like to cope for the unreal?
Would you rather continue living in our fantasy?
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MORTEN VELAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind