''Nordlys'' (" Northern Light" in

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

) is the second full-length studio album by the German

symphonic A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...

band

Midnattsol Midnattsol are a gothic/folk metal band from Germany. The band was founded in 2002 by Norwegian vocalist Carmen Elise Espenæs and German guitarist Christian Hector. The band's name is a modified spelling of the Norwegian word ''midnattssol'', wh ...

. It was released on 28 March 2008 through

Napalm Records Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock. Originally, Napalm focused on black metal bands, such as Abigor and Summoning, and folk metal bands, such as Falkenbach and Vintersorg. The label later ...

Background

After three years of the release of their well-received debut album ''

Where Twilight Dwells ''Where Twilight Dwells'' is the debut full-length studio album by the German Symphonic metal, symphonic/folk metal band Midnattsol. It was released on 31 January 2005 through Napalm Records. Background ''Where Twilight Dwells'' is a continuati ...

'' (2005), Midnattsol decided change direction and to compose an album with dark atmospheres in a melodic and heavy sound, influenced more closely by traditional

gothic metal Gothic metal (or goth metal) is a fusion genre combining the aggression of heavy metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy met ...

. In contrast, ''Nordlys'' is little inspired by Nordic

and it is less introspective that its predecessor. Particularly noteworthy is the experimentation in the vocals of their lead singer Carmen Elise Espenæs, as well as the extensive dedication in the guitar solos of

Daniel Droste Daniel Droste (born 2 April 1980 in Mosbach) is a German musician. He was a member of Midnattsol between 2003 and 2010, and founded Ahab in 2006. Career Droste was the guitarist of the gothic/folk metal band Midnattsol and is the vocalist, ...

and Christian Hector. However, Hector (a founding member), left the group shortly after the release of the album in order to concentrate on his other band

Ahab Ahab (; akk, 𒀀𒄩𒀊𒁍 ''Aḫâbbu'' 'a-ḫa-ab-bu'' grc-koi, Ἀχαάβ ''Achaáb''; la, Achab) was the seventh king of Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), Israel, the son and successor of King Omri and the husband of Jezebel of Sidon, ...

, being briefly replaced by Fabian Pospiech in the three live performances that made Midnattsol in Europe to promote the album.

Track listing

Personnel

Midnattsol

Carmen Elise Espenæs Midnattsol are a gothic metal, gothic/folk metal band from Germany. The band was founded in 2002 by Norwegian vocalist Carmen Elise Espenæs and German guitarist Christian Hector. The band's name is a modified spelling of the Norwegian word ''mid ...

– Vocals * Birgit Öllbrunner – Bass & Acoustic Bass *

– Lead Guitar & Acoustic Guitar & Vocals * Christian Hector – Rhythm Guitar & Acoustic Guitar * Daniel Fischer – Keyboards * Chris Merzinsky – Drums & Percussion

Production

* Markus Stock - producer, engineer *

Alexander Krull Alexander Krull (born 31 July 1970) is a German musician who is the lead vocalist for metal band Atrocity, as well as backing vocalist in the band Leaves' Eyes. Biography Krull was born in Ludwigsburg, where he formed Atrocity in 1985. He has ...

, Thorsten Bauer - producers and recording engineers of vocals *

Tue Madsen Tue Madsen (born 1969) is a Danish music producer and sound engineer, who is well known in metal genre for his work with bands like Meshuggah, Dark Tranquillity, Suicide Silence, Hatesphere, The Haunted, Mnemic, Ektomorf, Cataract, Exmortem ...

- mixing * Mika Jussila - mastering * Ingo Römling - artwork * Jens Howorka - photography

References

{{Authority control 2008 albums Midnattsol albums Napalm Records albums Albums produced by Alexander Krull pt:Nordlys