Midnattsol - Nordlys

Midnattsol has members hailing from both Norway and Germany, but their music sounds much more Scandinavian than Teutonic. There are dozens of interchangeable bands playing gothic music with a female vocalist, but Midnattsol manages to forge their own identity.

Nordlys is bombastic and melodic, with more intensity than most bands of this genre. There are dark gothic songs with a lot of atmosphere and keyboards, and also tracks with more of a traditional folk metal feel. It's a very diverse effort, with the aforementioned mellower gothic and folk metal parts blending seamlessly with more intense symphonic metal.

Carmen Elise Espanaes's warm vocals fit in well with the softer parts, but really contrast the louder and more extreme sections, which really makes them stand out. She has a nice vocal tone, and I prefer her lower register to the more operatic soprano vocals. The lyrics explore Norwegian mythology, which is in the folk metal vein. But musically, Nordlys falls more under the gothic metal banner.

(released April 1, 2008 on Napalm Records)