Lyriel | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Gummersbach,Germany |
| Genres | Folk metal Folk rock Celtic metal Symphonic metal Gothic metal |
| Years active | 2003-present |
| Labels | Black Bard Femme Metal Records AFM |
| Members | Jessica Thierjung Thomas Raser Linda Laukamp Joon Laukamp Marcus Fidorra Tim Sonnenstuhl |
| Past members | Daniel de Beer Sven Engelmann Martin Ahman Johannes Anand Matthias Kirchler Steffen Feldmann Olliver Thierjung |
| Website | lyriel-band.de |
Lyriel are a Germanheavy metal band who formed in autumn of 2003 inGummersbach. Originally playingfolk metal, they turned more towardssymphonic andgothic metal. Lyriel has recorded five studio albums and published a DVD of a live performance.
The band's lineup remained unchanged from their formation until 2008. Lyriel played as opening act for bands such asElis,Visions of Atlantis,Regicide,Xandria,Schandmaul,Corvus Corax,Saltatio Mortis,[1]Oomph,Schelmish,Korpiklaani andManfred Mann's Earth Band.
In 2005 they toured Germany,Austria andBelgium with Elis and Visions of Atlantis, in February 2006 Lyriel played on the “Romantic Darkness Tour“ together with Regicide and Xandria. Moreover, they played on theCeltic Rock Festival at Greifenstein castle inHesse. A video was released of the show. The first studio albumPrisonworld was released on 17 January 2005. Especially notable is the song "Lind e-huil" which is sung inSindarin, a fictionalElvish language created byJ. R. R. Tolkien. The song "The Symmetry of Disfiguration" was inspired byWendy and Richard Pini'sElfquest series.[2]
Their second studio albumAutumntales was published on 29 September 2006. It continues the band's style and among other songs contains a cover version of "Hijo de la Luna". The performance of the string instruments was lauded by the musical press, as well as Jessica Thierjung's singing.[3] The track "My Favourite Dream", recorded together withSabine Dünser of Elis, was also acclaimed as one of the harder songs on the album.[4]
In September 2008 drummer Daniel de Beer left the band and was replaced by Marcus Fidorra. Since then the lineup has changed several times.
The First Chapters, a remastered compilation album containing the first two studio albums was published in 2009.[5] A new albumParanoid Circus followed on 29 January 2010. Germanvoice actor Simon Jäger, known for dubbing actors likeHeath Ledger andMatt Damon, appears as a guest artist on the album, reading an introduction and an excerpt fromHermann Hesse's short storyThe Wolf in the middle of the album. German and Austrian reviews agreed that while offering a high musical standard this album lacks the general speed of the previous releases.[6][7][8] The album was re-released on AFM Records in April 2011 with a new cover artwork and 2 bonus tracks.[9]
Lyriel signed withAFM Records in 2011.[9] A fourth album namedLeverage was released in February 2012. Among a mix of soft folk rock as well as symphonic metal,[10][11] it features a duet withSchandmaul vocalist Thomas Lindner.[12]Leverage received positive reviews in Germany, Austria and the United Kingdom. It was however noted that the "album does lose some steam near its conclusion"[13] and that the band should have dared to evolve towards harder metal songs.[10][11]Leverage contains two songs "The Road Not Taken" and "Parting" that are based on lyrics byRobert Frost andCharlotte Brontë respectively[14] On the extended edition there is a version of "Everything's Coming Up Roses" byBlack.[14][15]
The band's fifth albumSkin and Bones was released in September 2014 after bassist Steffen Feldmann had left the band.[16] In March 2015, founding member Oliver Thierjung announced that he had left the band because of health issues.[17] He was replaced by Thomas Raser in April that year.[18] Also in April 2015, the band released a 10-years-anniversary EP called10.
The septet designate their music "Dark Romantic Celtic Rock". Lyriel's repertoire ranges from medievally inspiredballads to hardrock pieces with elements of classical and folk music.[2] Early recordings were frequently compared toBlackmore's Night,[1][2] but the band has evolved towardssymphonic metal[10][11] withgothic influences.[19]
Timeline
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