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
Lethargica
Sirenia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Diverted dreamers unfolding their lives
Sleep now sister enfold your fall
You can't take the exile anymore
And like all the others, you're lost tonight
Would you dance entranced in waning fields?
And to falter on through life's mortality
Would you veil your woebegone eyes?
Wither like in autumn
Waning yon the veil
You concede the pain is nonpareil
Wither like in your life
Waning like your days
I concede your pain is nonpareil
Lethargic sleeper - devote your life
Diverted dreamer - give in on tonight
Wake now sister for times to come
In a run towards the pantheon
And like all the others, you're lost in life
Would you swirl your world into a sea?
Far beyond the hurt of life's malignity
Would you cope for the loss in your life?
And to cede the night that sets within your eyes
Cover your eyes to mend the hurt inside
You wither in life like autumn leaves
Infidel divine,
You are the reason why I choose this way
To cease my life, you are the treason in us all
The lyrics of Sirenia's song Lethargica depict the struggles of individuals who are unable to find solace in their lives. The song begins by addressing the lethargic sleepers who have closed their eyes, implying that they are trying to escape reality. The "diverted dreamers" are those who have lost direction in their lives, and are trying to make sense of their existence. The singer urges the listeners who feel this way to fall asleep and to stop trying to fight the isolation and pain that they feel. She acknowledges the futility of trying to fight exile and consoles the listener, promising that they are not alone in their struggle.
The lyrics then pose a series of questions, asking the listener whether they would dance entranced and falter through the trials and tribulations of life, or whether they would cover their woebegone eyes with a veil to conceal the pain. The song also acknowledges the inevitability of decline, using the image of leaves withering in autumn to describe the passing of time. The lyrics urge the lethargic sleeper and diverted dreamer to give in, to wake up, and to run towards the pantheon, symbolizing a place of refuge and safety. The song concludes with the singer indicting an infidel for being the reason that she feels driven to consider death.
Line by Line Meaning
Lethargic sleepers they close their eyes
People who are emotionally drained and inactive shut their eyes.
Diverted dreamers unfolding their lives
People who become distracted end up revealing their life journey.
Sleep now sister enfold your fall
Rest now, sister, and protect yourself from failure.
You can't take the exile anymore
You can't endure the feeling of banishment any longer.
And like all the others, you're lost tonight
Just like everyone else, you feel disoriented this evening.
Would you dance entranced in waning fields?
Will you experience rapturous joy in fading meadows?
And to falter on through life's mortality
And to stumble along with the inevitability of death.
Would you veil your woebegone eyes?
Will you cover your sorrowful eyes?
To conceal these wounds that I consider mine
To hide the injuries that I believe belong to me.
Wither like in autumn
Fade away like leaves in the fall.
Waning yon the veil
The veil is declining in strength.
You concede the pain is nonpareil
You acknowledge that the suffering is unparalleled.
Wither like in your life
Fade away like in your life.
Waning like your days
Declining like your days.
I concede your pain is nonpareil
I acknowledge that your suffering is unmatched.
Lethargic sleeper - devote your life
Listless sleeper - dedicate your life to something.
Diverted dreamer - give in on tonight
Distracted dreamer - let go of tonight.
Wake now sister for times to come
Wake up now, sister, for the future.
In a run towards the pantheon
In a hurry towards the temple of gods.
And like all the others, you're lost in life
And just like everyone else, you're struggling in life.
Would you swirl your world into a sea?
Would you make your world a sea of emotions?
Far beyond the hurt of life's malignity
Far away from the pain of life's malevolence.
Would you cope for the loss in your life?
Would you handle the loss in your life?
And to cede the night that sets within your eyes
And to surrender to the darkness that appears in your eyes.
Cover your eyes to mend the hurt inside
Close your eyes to heal the pain within.
You wither in life like autumn leaves
You fade away in life like leaves in the fall.
Infidel divine,
God-like traitor,
You are the reason why I choose this way
You are the cause why I made this decision.
To cease my life, you are the treason in us all
To end my life, you are the betrayal within all of us.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MORTEN VELAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind