Track Listing

1. Path to Decay
2. Lost in Life
3. Mind Maelstrom
4. Seventh Summer
5. Beyond Life's Scenery
6. Lucid Door
7. Led Astray
8. Winterborn 77
9. Sirens of the Seven Seas

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11395 in Music
• Released on: 2008-12-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

CD Description
With THE 13th FLOOR, Norway's Sirenia unveil their fourth full-length studio album of elegant symphonic metal. Injecting a touch of youthful vigor into the band's sound is the addition of lead female vocalist Ailyn, who gained fame as a contestant on Spain's X FACTOR--a Simon Cowell-organized, European variation of AMERICAN IDOL. Sirena's appeal also lies in their graceful, complex, neo-gothic musical arrangements, which imply a blend of Therion and Within Temptation. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by metal stalwart Tue Madsen (Moonspell, The Haunted, Dark Tranquillity), THE 13TH FLOOR also features a full choir, French violinist Stephanie Valentin, and guest vocalist Jan Kenneth Barkved (who had previously contributed vocals on Sirenia's 2002 debut AT SIXES AND SEVENS).

Customer Reviews

Perfect fusion of pop/metal/goth
I ordered this before release as I'd gradually come to like Morten Veland's band. I was hoping it was going to be as good as previous albums but I never imagined it would be THIS good. It just oozes gothic atmosphere and melody. It will take something special to shift these songs out of my head. Every one is a corker.

The label on the CD read something like "A perfect fusion of pop/metal/goth" and that sums it up pretty well. It sounds like a cross between Abba and the Sisters of Mercy. If that sounds horrific, don't worry. The result is amazing. There are plenty of crunching guitars, choral arrangements, strings, growls, and, more so on this CD, driving bass.

This is without doubt Sirenia's best album to date. It continues in a similar style to "Nine Destinies..." but the intensity of everything is just turned up several notches. Of particular note is the "Sirenia Choir", who backed some tracks on the last CD and took centre stage on the song "Seven Keys..." On 13th Floor the choral arrangements are great and the choir really shines.

This time round Spanish singer Ailyn is the chosen female vocalist/new recruit. She has a good voice and fits in well but so far I think I preferred Monika Pedersen for her gothic sounds. Ailyn, who apparently did well on the Spanish version of X Factor, has a more pop oriented vocal but she does have a beautiful voice, looks good and can belt out the lyrics. And speaking of lyrics, Morten must have some disturbing dreams, he seems to be obsessed with doors and keys for some reason?!

Point of interest - Ailyn is now Sirenia's fourth singer in as many full albums. For me this is beginning to add to the appeal of the band - every CD has a unique identity but all are recognisably Sirenia. Also one of the best tracks has a male guest vocalist Jan Kenneth Barkved and there is more variety, one reason I took a star off "Nine Destinies.."

Old fans who liked "At Sixes and Sevens" might not like this melodic direction, and the melody here is absolutely relentless. But it's definitely not a pop CD. If this isn't my favourite CD of 2009 I will be very surprised.

A good, solid symphonic/gothic metal album
Before we start, you must understand that prior to hearing this album, I knew nothing about Sirenia. It was a bit of an impulse buy after hearing the latest single on Kerrang TV, however, unlike most impulse buys, I actually enjoyed it. Also, because of this, I will not be able to compare it to any of Sirenia's previous albums, I am judging it on it's own! Anyway, time for a track by track run through:

The Path to Decay - This is the track that I heard that pursuaded me to buy the album. It's a solid track with some great guitar riffing and powerful double-bass drumming. It also introduces Sirenia fans to new signer Ailyn who I gather, was not on any of their previous albums. It has a powerful chorus and a nice solo. 8/10

Lost in Life - After a beautiful piano intro reminisent of Nightwish, a rather melodic song ensues with some beautiful, angelic vocals from Ailyn. This is also single-worthy material and has a sing-along-anthemic chorus and another reasonable solo. 8/10

The Mind Maelstrom - This song begins with a choir and then trails into some keyboards with Ailyn singing beautifully accross it. An extremley peaceful song even with the reasonable anthemic chorus backed up by the choir. However, that soon changes when the double-pedals kick in and some growled/screamed vocals by main instrumentalist Morten Veland start. I like these vocals as it's a real contrast to Ailyn's voice. 7/10

The Seventh Summer - This song opens with a rather orchestral intro that perfectly suges into some really heavy guitars and drums. It contains a rather melodic chorus filled with double-pedals and sing-a-long lines. However, I do not think it is as strong as some of the previous tracks 7/10

Beyond Life's Scenery - This one opens with a rather doomy guitar riff and then becomes extremely dominated by the bass guitar in the verses. This makes the song seem very dark especially when combined with Ailyn's etherel vocals. 7/10

The Lucid Door - A quite gothic number, a bit like something Lacuna Coil would be proud to write. It's very melodic with Ailyn's voice cutting through the mix and some powerful slide guitar to back it up. Morten's vocals are also very powerful along with the choir towards the end. 8/10

Led Astray - Another piano/keyboard driven verse that has one really at peace with one's self. The guitar riff in the intro in between the verses and the choruses is also rather nice. I think that this is the song that best shows off Ailyn's vocal talents. 7/10

Winterborn 77 - A very keyboard orientated riff with some aiding rhythm guitars starts off this song and goes straight into some more beautiful vocals from Ailyn. Another song with an anthemic chorus filled with powerful and melodic drumming. 7/10

Sirens of the Seven Seas - A real epic featuring clean male vocals from Jan Kenneth Barkved. This song combines the three vocal styles plus the choir extremley effectivley to produce a great song to end the album on. It's such a powerful song with many different yet great parts. 9/10

Overall, this is a very strong album. Be it gothic metal or symphonic metal which ever you prefer, you will love this album. It's no where near the best album ever but it's very enjoyable and features some excellent musicianship and vocals.

In which Sirenia fail to win promotion to the top division
Sirenia are a curious band and to me, at least,it appears they haven't quite sorted out where they're going musically.I think it's detrimental to change the vocalist after each recording as this makes their overall sound less identifiable. I don't think the new singer is any better than the last one.Intros are often powerful but this is almost instantly dissipated when (weakish)vocals come in.I'm not that keen on the heavy backing music mixing with weak melodies which have poppy leanings. As other reviewers have said the belated entrance of growls (not that I'm a fan) is like a write-by-numbers reminder of their Gothic roots.The choir does sound magnificent in places but this has all been done before and Sirenia are nowhere near as dynamic or dramatic as Epica or After Forever not to mention the big 2.There are a couple of nice guitar breaks (most symphonic metal groups couldn't play solos to save their lives)but Morten Veland comes across as a good craftsman rather than an inspired songwriter.I find the constant reviewer references to Abba inappropriate as Sirenia have a long way to go to come up with unforgettable melodies like their Scandinavian counterparts.Song titles seem to centre around numbers for some obscure reason. My favourite tracks are the opener "Path to Decay" and the last one - "Siren of the Seven Seas" and I prefer the two bonus instrumentals to their sung versions.Overall "Nine Destinies" was a stronger album and at best Sirenia are just marking time. Not an essential purchase (but a helluva lot better than Tristania or Lacuna Coil)!