Siebenbürgen – Loreia

German-based Darkness Shall Rise Productions has specialized in re-releasing some of the old and hidden metal gems, something most of us didn’t even know of its existence. The same happen with the debut album from Swedish act Siebenbürgen.

Their debut album entitled Loreia got first released back in 1997. More than 26 years later, it’s finally available again on limited music cassette and this CD that has been spinning in my stereo for the last four days. As far as I’m concerned Siebenbürgen is a German name for Transylvania itself. Loreia is their 10-tracker full-length with five songs on each side. The lyrics are in Swedish, and most of them are written by Mara Puurunen, the ethereal female figure on the dark mystic cover of Loreia, which provides more mysticism to this already mystical, wampyric, shocking and atmospheric.

On this debut Siebenbürgen perfectly combine the rage, evilness and aggression of their Scandinavian black metal counterparts from the 90s, with more melodic, gothic and traditional sounds. It’s exactly this blend of Scandinavian harshness with pure traditional and almost operatic female vocals that I find fascinating. Loreia is melodic yet harsh, in its own unique way, with a dark atmosphere based mainly on the inspiring guitar-riffing paired with Ehlin (black metal rasp) and Lovisa’s (emotional wailing) expressive voices. It becomes more approachable and listenable when they incorporate well-placed violin (the violin is sparse but sounds great where it appears) and keyboard parts, while still incorporating the aforementioned emotional and folkish female vocals. My favourite tracks, and two tracks worth of your attention in general, are the punchiest songs of the record; “Vittring av Liv” and the closing one called “Dödens Sömn”. Both songs express some more traditional heavy metal influences, but I esp. find “Dödens Sömn” to be the most appropriate ending theme for an album such as Loreia – elegiac and aggressive at the same time. Most of the tracks are mid-paced and with similar build-up, but it’s still a wonderful vampiric melodic black metal release, and I can guarantee that it’s not the last time that I’m listening to this release.

The only downside of this record is its repetitive nature. I’d have liked to hear more varied songwriting. I mean almost 52 minutes in length, the album is fairly repetitious, with very little dynamic and variation within each song.

Thus, this album is somehow harsh album for an entry-level listener, but if you keep an open mind, you will fall in love with their unique sound. Because of its complexity it definitely requires more than one listen, but do not hesitate to give it a proper chance. Either way, you will not be disappointed. Esp. recommended for fans of Cradle of Filth, Emperor, Satyricon, Darkthrone, Marduk, Therion, Dimmu Borgir and similar acts from the mid 90s.

Purchase this particular re-release at https://darknessshallrise.de/product/siebenburgen-swe-loreia-mc-pre-order/?v=dd65ef9a5579