At Sixes and Sevens
Sirenia begin At Sixes and Sevens with a full sound. Choirs, keyboards and several different voices give the debut a large scale, but the guitars retain enough room. Morten Veland brings plenty from his time in Tristania. The album finds its main strength in how it develops that familiar, dark combination.
Meridian provides a good entrance. A firm riff establishes the mood before keyboards and female singing open up the sound. The melodies make the heavy foundation approachable without removing its sadness. Sirenia sound grand here, but the music can still depend on the impact of a guitar part.
The balance between the voices makes a considerable difference. Veland's growls occupy much of the space, while the female voice comes forward less often than you might expect. Sister Nightfall offers a different relationship. Deep, clean male singing alternates with the female parts, giving the song a character of its own. The variety goes beyond simply placing a harsh voice beside a gentle one.
The keyboards enlarge the atmosphere, with occasional electronic touches. Even so, the sharper riffs come through clearly enough. A Shadow of Your Own Self also shows that the band can write a more immediate song without abandoning its solemn approach.
Maintaining tension proves harder. Some slower passages stay with the same movement for too long, and the second half offers fewer clear differences between songs. The rich arrangements cannot completely hide that limitation. Nevertheless, At Sixes and Sevens has enough strong melodies and convincing arrangements to remain worthwhile. This is an ambitious debut that usually brings its familiar ingredients together with care.
