Was it based on personal experience or simply passive observation?

What happened in the recording studio or on stage to make one song sound different from the rest?

These are just some of the question bands and musicians attempt to answer in Line 'em Up - the newest page of The Power Of Metal.Dk.

This is where your favourite bands comment on their albums, track by track, because as someone once said, “Ideas are the building blocks of ideas”.

Enjoy!

Here’s a chance for you to tell our readers about your new album “Perils of the Deep Blue”.

The album has just been released, how has the first response been?

Sirenia – We've been blown away by all the positive feedback we have gotten this time. We know that we have made a very strong and special album, but it feels great that our fans and the media are so enthusiastic about 'Perils of the deep blue' as well.

Could you please give us some info on the album: Where did you record the album and who has produced and mixed it?

Sirenia – I produced the album, as I've done with the 2 previous ones as well. Most of the album was recorded here in my own studios in Stavanger, Norway. We did som additional recordings in Marseille, France in Sound Suite Studios. The album was mixed and mastered by Endre Kirkesola in Dub studios in Oslo, Norway.

And now onto ” Perils of the Deep Blue”… track-by-track, what inspired you, and what do what to express with this song etc.

01. Ducere Me In Lucem

Sirenia – The intro on the album. I think it is a very beautiful and atmospheric piece that sends the listener into a dreamy mood. The sound of the ocean waves also sets the mood very well for the album.

02. Seven Widows Weep

Sirenia – This is like a brutal wake up call after the soft intro. A beautiful contrast and this is where the album really starts. This song shows Sirenia at it's best I think, and it has all the typical Sirenia elements. This is kind of a story-like song, while a lot of the other tracks are more about expressing certain states of mind. Lots of contrasts from the hard, powerful, dramatic and energetic to the soft, beautiful, melancholic stuff.

03. My Destiny Coming To Pass

Sirenia – A very powerful and dramatic song. It has great dynamics and changes expression frequently.

04. Ditt Endelikt

Sirenia – This is a very bombastic rock song, mid tempo. The words are partly in Norwegian and partly in Spanish. It features session singer Joakim Næss who adds a great performance to the song.

05. Cold Caress

Sirenia – This is a very powerful gothic metal song, it got some really bombastic choirs. I also think it has some notable new metal influences and some cool guitar work.

06. Darkling

Sirenia – This song is driven by a quite simple , but very cool guitar riff. High beauty and the beast factor, strong contrasts.

07. Decadence

Sirenia – This song has a very modern sound and touch to it, I think it stands out on the album as something different. Quite industrial and electronic influenced. Some psycho female vocal lines that adds to the originality of the track.

08. Stille Kom Døden

Sirenia – The longest song that I wrote in my life, almost 13 minutes. It is in Norwegian and has a lot of variation. It is all of Sirenia's career compressed down to one song. Hehe. Definitely a unique song, and one of my favourites on the album. It has some great slide solos towards the end and all kind of vocal styles are represented.

09. The Funeral March

Sirenia – This song is maybe the one that sounds most like Sirenia on the previous 2 albums. A very catchy and melodic song. It got all the typical gothic elements I'd say.

10. Profound Scars

Sirenia – A very metal song. It reminds me a bit of Sirenia on our second album. A nostalgic song that takes me back to the past. It has a killer guitar riff that drives the song forward.

11. A Blizzard Is Storming

Sirenia – A very groovy midtempo track. This one also represents our style from the latest albums. Very melodic and heavy.

12. Chains

Sirenia – The first bonus track. A cool sounding song with a rock groove. I think this is the only Sirenia song where me and Ailyn sing together as a duet kind of thing.

13. Blue Colleen

Sirenia – The second bonus track. A very different Sirenia song in my opinion, and with a very electronic sound. Still very powerful, and it got an interesting ukulele solo which is not a typical instrument to hear in metal. Haha.

Two songs are in Norwegian – how come and what inspired you to write in your native language?

Sirenia – I wanted to write in Norwegian for a long time, but I never put that idea into life. With this album I was determined to make it happen. I find it a lot harder to express myself in Norwegian actually, as far as song writing goes. I think that the English language has more possibilities, it is easier to express myself in a poetic way, to find good rhymes and words that sounds nice when you sing them. Norwegian is a very direct and brutal language. Hehe.

Tell us a bit about the artwork – who made it etc. and how important do you feel it is to have a cool artwork?

Sirenia – The artwork was made by Anne Stokes. I think she did an amazing job, actually I found the artwork on the internet even before the album was out. We were really happy when we got the permission to use it for our cover. I think it is important to have a great artwork, it is the visual representation of the album, and it needs to match up and it better be good.

Any last words you want to round this interview off with?

Sirenia – Cheers to all the Sirenia fans out there, see you on tour soon!

Kenn Jensen, July 2013