Eternal Tears of Sorrow should be no strangers to metal fans; the Finnish act has been on the scene since the mid '90s delivering their brand of symphonic melodic death metal, and Saivon Lapsi is their seventh release. Coming four years after Children Of The Dark Waters, this one picks up right where that one left off, with the dual vocal attack, wealth of orchestral keyboards, chugging guitars and galloping rhythms fully intact.
There's just something so cinematic and bombastic about this band that it's hard not to instantly get swept away by their soaring melodies and symphonic arrangements. That's not to say that there aren't moments of crushing brutality here, which there certainly is on "Dark Alliance", "Legion of Beast", and "Dance of December", but the majority of Saivon Lapsi treads areas most associated with acts like Epica, Nightwish, and Kamelot, but with plenty of death metal growls thrown into the mix. Both the growls & the melodic vocals are extremely well done here, and it's quite breathtaking when the two are used together so successfully, as on "The Day" and the epic "Angelheart, Ravenheart (Act III: Saivon Lapsi)". Whether you ultimately feel that Saivon Lapsi has improved upon Eternal Tears of Sorrow's past successes or treading similar paths, this is still a very solid and enjoyable platter of symphonic extreme metal no matter how you slice it.
Track Listing
01. Saivo
02. Dark Alliance
03. Legion Of Beast
04. Kuura
05. Dance Of December
06. The Day
07. Sound Of Silence
08. Beneath The Frozen Leaves
09. Swan Saivo
10. Blood Stained Sea
11. Angelheart, Ravenheart (Act III: Saivon Lapsi)
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