{"id":21760,"date":"2012-08-29T15:07:08","date_gmt":"2012-08-29T20:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=21760"},"modified":"2013-02-05T16:18:15","modified_gmt":"2013-02-05T21:18:15","slug":"liv-kristine-libertine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2012\/liv-kristine-libertine\/","title":{"rendered":"Liv Kristine | Libertine<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis<\/span>
\n– Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"Libertine<\/em> is the upcoming solo release from Norwegian-born singer\/songwriter Liv Kristine, who is more widely known as the lead singer for the symphonic folk metal powerhouse band Leaves\u2019 Eyes and Theatre of Tragedy. Libertine<\/em> is not a symphonic metal release by any means, but rather a fluid and modern rock album \u2013 although occasionally some metal (and maybe just a little pop) gleams through.<\/p>\n

Liv\u2019s latest solo effort is her fourth, and follows on the heels of the successful Deus Ex Machina<\/em> (1998), Enter My Religion<\/em> (2006), and Skintight<\/em> (2010). Libertine<\/em> is a mature and intelligent album in terms of both songwriting and performance, and is filled with warmth, creativity, and emotion. Liv (who also is known by her full name – Liv Kristine Espen\u00e6s Krull) really steps to the front and takes full control of this release. Not only does she sing lead vocals, but she wrote all the lyrics, and composed the music in cooperation with J.B. van der Wal, Thorsten Bauer and producer (also husband) Alexander Krull. Only the cover of Kate Bush\u2019s \u201cThe Man With a Child in His Eyes\u201d is not her own creation, but the arrangement is uniquely Liv.<\/p>\n

Musically Libertine<\/em> runs the gamut from soft acoustic ballad to pop-rock to melodic metal, and each genre is handled well. Not only are Liv\u2019s vocals superbly done and well-recorded, but the rest of the band is in top form as well. Liv is joined by J.B. van der Wal (guitars \/ bass \/ keyboards), Thorsten Bauer (guitars \/ bass \/ keys), Felix Born (drums), Alessandro Pant\u00f2 (piano), and Christoph Kutzer (cello). Vocalist Tobias Regner joins to provide duet vocals on one track.<\/p>\n

\u201cInterlude\u201d opens the album with soft vocals and acoustic instruments before becoming to a calm slow tempo rocker. \u201cSolve Me\u201d kicks it up to mid-tempo and blends in some pop elements, and features a toe-tapping rhythm line and sing along chorus. The moody and reflective \u201cSilence\u201d is by far the best track on the album. Emotional and heartfelt lyrics flow over a simple and effective piano tune, and Liv delivers the words with passion while avoiding the over-emoting that many singers tend to bring to their ballad pieces. Tobias Regner contributes some great vocals on the somewhat erotic duet rocker, \u201cVanilla Skin Delight.\u201d Nicely done keyboards and a great vocal performance highlight the soft and moody \u201cPanic.\u201d The band definitely goes upbeat pop with the kicky \u201cParis Paris.\u201d Despite the Top-40-radio feel, this track features a surprisingly \u201cmetal\u201d guitar break.<\/p>\n

A strong bass line and excellent drum work carry \u201cWait For Rain\u201d into darker territory, and the lyrics and fine vocal performance easily convey the emotion and tone intended. \u201cLove Crime\u201d is a short, near-Gothic ballad driven primarily by piano, and it leads into the most metal track on the album \u2013 the title track \u201cLibertine.\u201d Great vocals, big hooks and driving bass make this song a strong one. \u201cMeet Me in the Red Sky\u201d is another nicely done keyboard driven ballad with some electronic overtones and a neat rolling rhythm line. The album wraps with a well-done cover version of Kate Bush\u2019s \u201cThe Man With a Child in His Eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you are a Liv Kristine fan, Libertine<\/em> will not disappoint. Liv proves herself to be an incredibly versatile singer and a fine songwriter. This album IS Liv Kristine, and she holds nothing back. Superbly recorded and engineered, the mix of styles will please fans of almost every rock genre. Once again, Liv and her friends prove themselves to be at the top of their game.<\/p>\n

Very highly recommended!<\/p>\n

Libertine<\/em> is set to be released on 7-September-2012 through Napalm Records.<\/p>\n

Genre: Modern Melodic Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nLiv Kristine (vocals)
\nJ.B. van der Wal (guitars, bass, keys, programming)
\nThorsten Bauer (guitars, bass, keys)
\nFelix Born (drums, percussion)
\nAlessandro Pant\u00f2 (piano)
\nChristoph Kutzer (cello)
\nGuest Performers – Tobias Regner \u2013 duet vocals on Track 4<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tInterlude (Intro)
\n2.\tSolve Me
\n3.\tSilence
\n4.\tVanilla Skin Delight
\n5.\tPanic
\n6.\tParis Paris
\n7.\tWait for Rain
\n8.\tLove Crime
\n9.\tLibertine
\n10.\tMeet Me in the Red Sky
\n11.\tThe Man With a Child in His Eyes<\/p>\n

Label: Napalm Records<\/p>\n

Website: http:\/\/www.livkristine.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.5\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis – Columnist — Libertine is the upcoming solo release from Norwegian-born singer\/songwriter Liv Kristine, who is more widely known as the lead singer for the symphonic folk metal powerhouse band Leaves\u2019 Eyes […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6772],"tags":[336,5922,2543,5926,891,334,5925],"class_list":{"0":"post-21760","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-arcrvws2012","7":"tag-cd","8":"tag-libertine","9":"tag-liv-kristine","10":"tag-modern-melodic-rock","11":"tag-napalm-records","12":"tag-review","13":"tag-skintight"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21760\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}