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LIV KRISTINE
River Of Diamonds
Metalville Records

From sharing the stage with THEATRE OF TRAGEDY to branching out with LEAVES’ EYES throughout her illustrious career throughout the course of over two decades, iconic songstress LIV KRISTINE has chartered her individual course in her off-and-on solo career for a good quarter century with five solo albums to her credit. And now with her solo career officially being fully on, the queen of Scandinavian gothic metal continues her reign with her sixth solo album titled River Of Diamonds.

Composed by LIV's long-time friend Tommy Olsson (THEATRE OF TRAGEDY, LONG NIGHT) at his Black Rider Records studio in Tau, near her birthplace of Stavanger, Norway, River is awash with plenty of the symphonic gothic metal stylings and dark New Wave 80’s-sounding vibes throughout the album. "Each song follows a path of strong authenticity and unbound creativity, which is my innermost and first criterion since Theatre Of Tragedy (1995), Deus Ex Machina (1998), and Lovelorn (LEAVES EYES)," says Liv about the new album, further describing the album as part of “a heart-based personal path, a sense of deeper truth, and a soul vision of pure bliss consciousness - an eternal river of diamonds." Its opening number "Our Immortal Day" is a duet with the incomparable singer ØstenBergøy (LONG NIGHT, TRISTANIA), whose distinct deep-sounding vocals provide the ideal SISTERS OF MERCY-sounding vibe the song asks for. Follow-up numbers such as the uplifting “In Your Blue Eyes” and “Gravity” further champions the 80’s New Wave influences prevalent in Liv’s musical work, while “Shaolin Me”, the sibling duet with her sister Carmen Elise Espenæs (SAVN, MIDNATTSOL) on the peppy-sounding number “Love Me High” and the riveting title track alone – the latter featuring Fernando from MOONSPELL who lifts the track to a new, magical level – are dead ringers for about any of THEATRE OF TRAGEDY’s mid-90’s material.

Rounding out the album are two particular covers LIV KRISTINE excels at, bringing their aura to greater heights: “Pictured Within” by Jon Lord, featuring her husband, Michael Espenæs,as the voice behind the highly emotional male vocals, and a stripped-down performance of Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colours” beautifully re-recorded by Ecor (Rocco Cogliati) with keyboards and piano.

Pretty and shiny on the outside but with a dark hidden past beneath its sparkling veneer and gloss, River Of Diamonds is quintessential LIV KRISTINE in her reflection, inviting you to dance the coast with her.

5.0 Out Of 5.0

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