With lyrics sung by a siren beckoning sailors into her dangerous seaside lair, Leaves' Eyes put the romance in metal. A mostly German band fronted by Norwegian Liv Kristine, they're obsessed with Viking battles, Vinland explorers, and flora and fauna of the forest. Though Kristine's powerful singing is balanced by harsh male growls, what stands out are the intermittent opera choirs, bagpipes, cellos, mandolins, and pennywhistles right out of a Renaissance fair. Traveling ever northward into a world of ice and snow, they transform metal into a crashing symphony of beauty.