On January 12th, BW&BK; scribe Carl Begai attended a listening session for MIDNATTSOL's forthcoming album, Nordlys, which took place in Inning am Ammersee, Germany (near Munich). He has checked in with the following update:

"It's going to be interesting to see how the Midnattsol faithful take the band's new album, Nordlys. In similar fashion to EPICA, who underwent a major transformation for the better between their Consign To Oblivion and The Divine Conspiracy album, Midnattsol have effectively left their 2005 debut Where Twilight Dwells coughing and hacking in the dust. As cliche as it might sound using words like 'maturity' and 'depth' to describe the album, the simple fact of the matter is this band has grown up in a big way since their first outing. The song arrangements are much more complex and diverse, the band sounds much more confident (particularly vocalist Carmen Elise Espenaes), and the production is world class.

While Midnattsol will continue to be shelved under Nordic Folk Metal (by their own choice), Nordlys is as much about the metal as the folk influences heard on the debut. Guitarists Christian Hector and Daniel Droste aren't shy about their AMORPHIS influences and wear them well, throwing in a surprising wealth of IRON MAIDEN flavoured guitar leads throughout the album. Hector even goes so far as to pay tribute to Devin Townsend, and if you know HevyDevy those Ocean Machine moments will hit you like a truck. Good on them. In addition, Droste provides clean vocals for the bonus track 'Octobre', showing off a very different side to his funeral doom AHAB personality.

Meanwhile, drummer Chris Merzinsky puts in an over-the-top thrash-happy performance that, amazingly, works well against a dark and ultimately folk-painted backdrop. Clearly one of the most underrated drummers on the scene today.

The one element in Midnattsol under the most scrutiny, however, is Espenaes. As the younger sister of LEAVES' EYES / ex-THEATRE OF TRAGEDY vocalist Liv Kristine the bar was set high to begin with, and she was found wanting depending on people's expectations. Returning with a new found confidence, Espenaes' voice has taken on a new dimension. The first three songs, for example - 'Open Your Eyes', 'Skogens Lensel' and 'Northern Light' - feature three very different vocal performances, reminiscent of Tarja Turunen, Simone Simons, and Espenaes' own debut. This is a common thread running through the album, making it an active 'What's next?' listen. Bottom line: all comparisons to Liv Kristine will be silenced with Nordlys.

With regards to production work, featuring the team of Markus Stock (instruments), Alex Krull (vocals), Tue Madsen (mixing) and Mika Jusilla (mastering), it was time and money well spent. The sonic impact of Nordlys is 10 times that of the debut.

There is plenty of change and growth on Nordlys, perhaps best showcased by the epic track 'Konkylie', 'Open Your Eyes', 'Northern Light' and the fist-raising beer-swilling track 'En Natt I Nord', but Midnattsol do take a couple trips back to the debut for old time's sake ('Race Of Time'). With the right push and extensive in-your-face touring Midnattsol could well savour the attention and accolades currently enjoyed by their peers."

As previously reported, Nordlys is set for a March 28th release through Napalm Records. The tracklist for Nordlys is as follows: 'Open Your Eyes', 'Skogens Lengsel', 'Northern Light', 'Konkylie', 'Wintertimes', 'Race Of Time', 'New Horizon', 'River Of Virgin Soil', 'En Natt I Nord', 'Octobre' (bonus track).

Watch for a full interview in BW&BK; # 110.