EYE OF MELIAN & JOHANNA KURKULA

Album which takes its inspiration from Tolkien and transports you to a far better place than whence you came.

I must admit that I have not read a syllable of any Tolkien since I was a spotty teenager back in the day, and whilst I watched a couple of the Jackson films, I was not particularly enamoured of them. In literary terms, my tastes changed several years ago. Thus, it was a search with Mr Google which reminded me that Melian “The Maia” was the Queen of Doriath and, most appropriately for this album, was associated with songbirds in the great man’s tomes.

Whilst my literary tastes have changed beyond all recognition in the past 40-odd years, my love for sweeping, panoramic, and gorgeous music has not, and we get those in spades with this wonderful collaboration between main driving force Martjn Westerholt of Delain, lyricist Robin La Joy, a Tolkien nut, orchestral arranger Mikko P. Mustonen, and the deliciously beautiful voice of Johanna Kurkela from Finland.

Tolkien tells of the heroine filling silence with her voice and that of her birds, and it is that beauty which cries out on this wonderful album. When I first listened to it, I was reminded of a highlight of 2021, the exceptional debut album by Illuminae, Dark Horizons. I wonder if the creators of Eye of Melian have listened to that album, because whilst there is not a huge similarity in song writing or lyrics, there most certainly is in terms of mood and atmosphere. Add to this the talents of the wonderful Troy Donockley, who appeared on that album, from the opening bars of Doorway of Night to the fade out of Rainfall you are in for a treat.

Kurkula has a gorgeous voice and from the outset what we get with Legends of Light is her yearning and fragile vocals combined with symphonic wonder and orchestral sweeps. It is epic. It is cinematic in its scope, and it is virtually impossible to distinguish and arrange individual tracks, because the album demands to be heard as a single entity, although Vita Nova, or New Life, speaks of freedom and redemption, reclaiming lost youth and the spring of life, and when I listen to this, it makes me feel good, it strips away the cares of midlife concerns, and I can think of no better recommendation than that, really. Take Under the Grey Sky, with its mournful violins and pipes, but also grandiose keys which put me in mind of the forest walks sung about on Kaipa’s recent release, Urskog. By this, I do not mean the song per se, but the mood created, walking through the trees in an otherworldly location.

There is one more guest spot which deserves mention, and that is from Celtic Metal Artist Leah on Light, the penultimate track which is more of a ballad than much else on the album, with her fine voice competing with a nice piano lead and gentler orchestration than elsewhere before it too bursts into life and you are transported into that special inner light with a thundering drum pattern driving the voice and orchestra forward. Closer Rainfall simply takes your breath away with its vocal cries, pipes, orchestra, and lyrics combining to deafening effect.

Legends of Light is a personal favourite of 2022 and comes highly recommended. You do not need to be a Tolkien nut to enjoy this, someone who knows his middle earth inside out. You merely need to have a deep love and appreciation of the type of music which washes you and your blues away into that ethereal inner existence we call peace. Just about the most perfect combination of folk, prog, and Celtic influenced orchestral music you are likely to hear.

You can listen to and buy the album on Bandcamp at https://eyeofmelian.bandcamp.com/album/legends-of-light-album It is available for streaming on iTunes, which is where I first listened to it, but please support the artist and buy direct from them.