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
The Lucid Door
Sirenia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A lucid door is fading as the walls close in
on all my dreams
I walk with you through fire
through endless nights and everlasting desire
Wane...all the lights they seem to fade
They all seem to pass away
I can see them getting weaker every day
Silent screams
and stalking strangers
haunt me in my darkest sleep
I feel them stare at me
A thousand eyes on fire
penetrate my mind when I'm all wired
All so high and wired
Enigmatic is the wheel of time
Loosing grip as the years pass me by
Drifting further away from the light
into the arms of an endless night
I still cling on to the will to be
though overthrown by life’s insanity
Collapsing in anxiety
Will the demons ever set me free?
The Lucid Door by Sirenia is a song that delves deeply into the psyche of the singer. It is through the lyrics that we hear the voice of someone who is trapped in a seemingly endless cycle of nightmares and waking up into more darkness. The lucid door represents a possible escape from the walls that are closing in, but even that is slowly fading. The fire that the singer walks through represents the passion they once had and are now struggling to hold onto.
The first verse is powerful as it depicts the singer's helplessness as their dreams, which should be a place of solace, are no longer safe. The second verse talks about the singer's sense of losing grip and slipping into darkness. The line, "drifting further away from the light into the arms of an endless night," beautifully captures the essence of the singer's feelings.
The chorus is haunting and speaks to the singer's sense of hopelessness. The lights that once shone brightly have all faded, and the singer is left with nothing. The line "silent screams and stalking strangers" adds to the sinister atmosphere of the song as it evokes a sense of unease.
Overall, The Lucid Door is a song that speaks to anyone who has struggled with their demons and felt themselves slipping into darkness. It is a powerful song with strikingly vivid lyrics that capture the essence of the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
In my dreams
The following events occur in Sirenia's dream.
A lucid door is fading as the walls close in
Sirenia sees a lucid door which fades away as the walls of her dream start to narrow down on her.
on all my dreams
This narrowing-in of walls is happening to all of Sirenia's dreams.
I walk with you through fire
In spite of the danger, Sirenia walks through fire with someone else.
through endless nights and everlasting desire
This walking through fire with someone else has been going on for a long time and is driven by strong desires.
Wane...all the lights they seem to fade
All the lights in Sirenia's dream are dying away.
All so dim and all so frail
These lights were already weak and fragile to begin with.
They all seem to pass away
Now, all these lights are disappearing completely.
I can see them getting weaker every day
Over time, Sirenia has been noticing these lights slowly losing their strength.
Silent screams
In her dream, Sirenia hears silent screams.
and stalking strangers
In addition to these screams, there are also unknown figures present.
haunt me in my darkest sleep
These strangers and their presence are the source of Sirenia's fear in this dream.
I feel them stare at me
These strangers keep watch on Sirenia.
A thousand eyes on fire
There are many of these strangers, and they all have fiery eyes.
penetrate my mind when I'm all wired
Sirenia feels these strangers' presence in her mind when she's in a state of anxiety.
All so high and wired
Sirenia is in an anxious, possibly drug-induced state.
Enigmatic is the wheel of time
The passage of time is hard to understand.
Loosing grip as the years pass me by
As time goes on, Sirenia feels like she's losing control of her life.
Drifting further away from the light
As she feels like she's losing control, she's also getting farther away from a positive outlook.
into the arms of an endless night
Sirenia feels like she's heading into an endless dark void.
I still cling on to the will to be
Despite all of this, Sirenia is still trying to hold onto hope and the desire to exist.
though overthrown by life’s insanity
Even though her life is in chaos.
Collapsing in anxiety
Sirenia is feeling the weight of her anxiety and is starting to fall apart.
Will the demons ever set me free?
Sirenia is hoping that her mental demons will eventually leave her alone.
Contributed by Lauren J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.