Njord (album)

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Njord
Cover design by Stefan Heilemann
Studio album by
Released26 August 2009
RecordedMastersound Studios, Steinheim, Germany, 2009
GenreSymphonic metal
Length55:56
LanguageEnglish, Norwegian
LabelNapalm
ProducerAlexander Krull
Leaves' Eyes chronology
My Destiny
(2009)
Njord
(2009)
Meredead
(2010)
Singles from Njord
  1. "My Destiny"/"Northbound"
    Released: 24 July 2009
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
About.com[2]
BBC(positive)[3]
Sputnikmusic[4]
Sea of Tranquility[5]

Njord is the third studio album by the German/Norwegian symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes, released on 28 August 2009 on Napalm Records.[6] Njörðr comes from Norse mythology and is a name associated to the Vanir god of the sea and the wind.

In this album the band used for the first time a full orchestra and choir and wrote for them suitable arrangements.

The album was also released in a digipak deluxe edition, including two bonus tracks and a model of a Viking longship with Leaves' Eyes logo on the sail.[7]

Track listing[edit]

All lyrics are written by Liv Kristine Espenæs; all music is composed by Alexander Krull, Mathias Röderer, Thorsten Bauer, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Njord" 6:14
2."My Destiny" 4:13
3."Emerald Island" 5:24
4."Take the Devil in Me" 3:51
5."Scarborough Fair"Traditional4:04
6."Through Our Veins" 3:40
7."Irish Rain" 4:01
8."Northbound" 4:23
9."Ragnarok" 5:11
10."Morgenland" ("The Morning Land") 2:54
11."The Holy Bond" 3:41
12."Frøya's Theme" 8:20
Total length:55:56
Limited edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Landscape of the Dead"4:36
14."Les Champs de Lavande" ("Lavender Fields")2:41
Total length:63:13

Personnel[edit]

Leaves' Eyes[edit]

Additional musicians[edit]

  • Lingua Mortis Orchestra from Minsk, Belarus, directed by Victor Smolski
  • Al dente Choir from Kleinbottwar, Germany, directed by Veronika Messmer
  • Christian Roch - Uilleann pipes and whistles on "Scarborough Fair" and "Irish Rain"
  • Anette Gulbrandsen - backing vocals on "Northbound"
  • Gunnar Sauermann, Cristoph Sutzer, Robert Suß, Uwe Fichtner, Markus Rutten, Steven Willems, Stefan Heilemann - Vikings on "Njord"

Production[edit]

  • Alexander Krull - producer, engineer, mixing and mastering at Mastersound Studios
  • Mathias Röderer, Thorsten Bauer - assistant engineers
  • Victor Smolski - orchestra recording engineer

Charts[edit]

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Belgian Flander Albums Chart (Ultratop)[8] 58
Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart (Ultratop)[9] 82
German Albums Chart (Media Control)[10] 30
Swiss Albums Chart[11] 88
UK Indie Chart[12] 40
US Independent Albums[12] 105

Release history[edit]

Region Date Label Format
Spain, Finland 26 August 2009[7] Napalm Records Compact disc
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Benelux, France 28 August 2009[7] Napalm Records Compact disc
Internationally 28 August 2009[13] Napalm Records Deluxe CD packaging containing Viking Longship model and extra sticker (limited to 500 copies)
The rest of Europe 31 August 2009[7] Napalm Records Compact disc
Canada 1 September 2009[7] Napalm Records Compact disc
United States 29 September 2009[7] Napalm Records Compact disc

References[edit]

  1. ^ Freeman, Phil. "Leaves' Eyes - Njord review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  2. ^ Bowar, Chad. "Leaves' Eyes - 'Njord'". Heavy Metal. About.com. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  3. ^ Moffitt, Greg (2009). "Leaves' Eyes Njord review". BBC Music. BBC. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  4. ^ Spencer, Trey (1 September 2009). "Leaves' Eyes Njord review". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  5. ^ Pierce, Ken (20 November 2009). "Leaves' Eyes: Njord review". Sea of Tranquility.org. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  6. ^ "Leaves' Eyes: My Destiny EP track listing revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 19 June 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "LEAVES' EYES To Release 'Njord' As Viking Longship Model Edition". Blabbermouth.net. 4 August 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  8. ^ "Leaves' Eyes - Njord". Ultratop (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  9. ^ "Leaves' Eyes - Njord". Ultratop (in French). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  10. ^ "Album – Leaves' Eyes, Njord". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 19 April 2014.[dead link]
  11. ^ "Leaves' Eyes - Njord". Hitparade.ch (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Napalm Records Chart Results". Napalm Records. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  13. ^ "Njord - Leaves' Eyes, CD & Viking ship". EMP Merchandising. Retrieved 18 April 2014.