An Elixir for Existence by Sirenia (CD, Aug-2004, Napalm Records USA)

SIRENIA’s second album will please all those who seek a quite balanced as well as a fairly polished goth metal album. Both main directions (the metal and the goth) assume almost equal roles. Having said that, it would appeal more to goth-orientated listeners who would like a generous portion of metal riffs and attitude in their menu. One can easily spot some THERION influences especially when it comes to classical, baroque themes and few sporadic black metal traces. Melody is also a key word to the ‘Elixir For Existence’. This familiar melodic feeling of mid-tempo darkness, a weird “happy-to-be-sad” situation is present throughout the album. Very nice ethereal female vocals and the spirit of PARADISE LOST give a few extra credits. The whole attempt is completed with features such as black-metal male vocals, strings and pianos. To sum-up, the songs are constructed in crafty ways resulting in a handful of pleasing tunes that can stand the test of time. SIRENIA are on the right track to become a significant name for the genre.