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
One By One
Sirenia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your fading hope and darkened days to come
The lights are fading out once more
I see you falter so lost and blind
I know a shadow still lingers in in your mind
But I can't lead you on, not this time
I've been dreaming for far too long
I'm still standing, still facing the fall
Will I give in the distant calls
I've been watching your crumbling walls
I've endured a thousand tears or more
In a frozen moment of time, I see you fall
Only memories remain of you now
You' ve given in to darkness and to doubt
You couldn't find the strength to cast
The demons out
The opening line of the lyrics to Sirenia's song "One by One" sets a melancholic tone that pervades throughout the song. The river that runs along symbolizes the passing of time, and how it carries away the singer's hopes and the prospects of a better tomorrow. The singer picks up on this sense of despair in the people around them, especially someone very close to them, with whom they share a deep bond. The lights that symbolize hope flicker and fade, leaving behind only darkness and uncertainty. The singer acknowledges the pessimism that weighs down their loved one, but even they cannot provide comfort this time. It is a poignant moment, as they can only stand helplessly and witness their loved one's struggle.
As the song progresses, the singer muses about their own dreams and aspirations, which are also slipping away day by day. They feel the weight of failure on their shoulders and wonder if they will be able to withstand the inevitable "fall." However, the question that they are really asking is whether they will be able to resist the lure of giving up entirely. They have been witness to their loved one's crumbling walls, their tears and the struggles that they have had, and they know that they could be next. The singer's experience strengthens their resolve, but the threat of defeat still lingers.
The song is a poignant meditation on the nature of hope, despair, and the will to keep going, even when everything seems lost. The haunting melody, the lyrics that are both emotive and reflective, and the lead singer's ethereal voice, all come together to create a cathartic experience that will stay with the listener long after the last note has faded.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a river that runs along
There's a constant flow of situations and circumstances that affect your life.
Your fading hope and darkened days to come
Your hope is diminishing and the future seems bleak.
The lights are fading out once more
Things are getting darker again.
I see you falter so lost and blind
I see you struggling and unsure of what to do next.
I know a shadow still lingers in your mind
I know you're still haunted by something in your past.
But I can't lead you on, not this time
I'm unable to guide you through this situation.
I've been dreaming for far too long
I've been holding onto unrealistic hopes and dreams for too long.
And my dreams all break one by one
All my dreams are continuously shattering one after the other.
I'm still standing, still facing the fall
I'm still enduring the challenges and facing the inevitable downfall.
Will I give in the distant calls
Am I going to succumb to the tempting distant calls.
I've been watching your crumbling walls
I've seen your defenses and walls breaking down.
I've endured a thousand tears or more
I've endured countless emotional struggles.
In a frozen moment of time, I see you fall
In a moment, I see you succumb to your struggles and fall down.
Only memories remain of you now
You're gone and only memories of you remain.
You've given in to darkness and to doubt
You've allowed yourself to become consumed by despair and uncertainty.
You couldn't find the strength to cast the demons out
You were unable to overcome your inner demons and struggles.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MORTEN VELAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind