Some artists offer what they offer, and there’s no two ways about it. I reviewed the debut Eye of Melian album Legends of Light back in 2022 and I really liked it. They are back with Forest of Forgetting on February 20th, and it is quite similar to the first album, but that’s a good thing. If you liked the debut, you’ll love this one, too.
Eye of Melian, named after a singing spirit from Tolkien’s Middle Earth, is a project featuring members of Delain and Auri. The lineup includes Martijn Westerholt on keys and orchestral arrangements, Johanna Kurkela on vocals and violin, Robin La Joy on backing vocals and lyrics, and Mikko P Mustonen on keys and orchestral arrangements. You’ll also hear Troy Donockley of Nightwish on flute and Uilleann pipes and Patty Gurdy on the hurdy-gurdy.
Okay, so you’ll notice the lack of guitars in that list. Eye of Melian plays fantasy music which is quietly cinematic, cautiously emotional, and incredibly beautiful. There is no bombast here. They play music that flows like a river of grace and memory, and it will soothe your soul.
Forest of Forgetting is definitely like the debut. It might be a little more melancholy at times, and a little mightier in others, but the gorgeous orchestrations, vivid keys, and illustrious strings are the bulk of the sound with Johanna’s unmistakable voice weaving incantations and poetry with elegant ease. It is simply beautiful.
It’s also a wonderfully consistent record. In the first half, my favorites are the single “Symphonia Arcana” with its perfect hook and endless hum-ability; “Elixir of Night” with its Celtic vibes and haunting pipes; and the single “Blackthorn Winter” with its nuanced yet mighty melody. All of the songs are wonderful, though.
In the second half, my favorites are “Dawn of Avatars” with its guest spots and strong violin; the title track with its melancholy, careful atmosphere and ambient portions; “The Buried Well” with its cinema and mystery; and the quiet shadows of “The Mirror”. I also really like the cover of Bruce Dickinson’s “Tears of the Dragon” at the end. I don’t normally like covers much, but they bring Eye of Melian’s exotic fantasy into the fray and it’s beautiful.
Eye of Melian can be for everyone, I daresay. Forest of Forgetting is reserved in presentation, though subsequent listens will have you delving deeper depths and weaving richer tapestries. It is music designed to calm the anxiety of this world and it does so with gentle majesty.
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The PROG Mind 