An Elixir for Existence
An Elixir for Existence is the second studio album by the Norwegian gothic metal band Sirenia, released in 2004. The album follows in the same vein as the previous At Sixes and Sevens, but includes a new female vocalist, Henriette Bordvik.[2] From this album, Sirenia has been presented as a 4-piece band, with Morten Veland as the only permanent member.
| An Elixir for Existence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art by Joachim Luetke | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 3, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | Stargoth Studios, Tau, Norway Sound Suite Studio, Marseille, France September and October 2003 | |||
| Genre | Gothic metal, death-doom | |||
| Length | 53:44 | |||
| Label | Napalm | |||
| Producer | Terje Refsnes, Morten Veland | |||
| Sirenia chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metal Storm |    [1] |
Musical style
Like its predecessor album At Sixes and Sevens (2002), the musical style in An Elixir for Existence corresponds to the more classic Sirenia's gothic metal of their origins, with some elements of symphonic death-doom.
A large number of the songs are concerned with mental conditions, be it depression ("Voices Within"), drug use ("Euphoria") or thoughts of suicide ("The Fall Within"); of course, the meanings of all of these songs are subject to further conjecture.
Track listing
All songs written by Morten Veland.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lithium and a Lover" | 6:33 |
| 2. | "Voices Within" | 6:52 |
| 3. | "A Mental Symphony" | 5:25 |
| 4. | "Euphoria" | 6:35 |
| 5. | "In My Darkest Hours" | 6:04 |
| 6. | "Save Me from Myself" | 4:14 |
| 7. | "The Fall Within" | 6:48 |
| 8. | "Star-Crossed" | 6:28 |
| 9. | "Seven Sirens and a Silver Tear" (Instrumental) | 4:45 |
| Total length: | 53:44 | |
Personnel
Credits for An Elixir for Existence adapted from liner notes.[3]
Sirenia
- Morten Veland – harsh vocals (tracks 1–5, 7, 8), guitars, bass, keyboards, drum programming, mixing
- Henriette Bordvik – female vocals (tracks 1–8)
Additional personnel
- Kristian Gundersen – clean male vocals (tracks 3, 4, 7)
- Anne Verdot – violin (tracks 2–4, 6)
- Damien Surian, Mathieu Landry, Emmanuelle Zoldan, Sandrine Gouttebel, Emilie Lesbros – choir (tracks 1–5, 7–9)
Production
- Joachim Luetke – cover art, artwork
- Terje Refsnes – mixing, engineering
- Emile M.E. Ashley – photography
- Ulf Horbelt – mastering
- Wolfgang Voglhuber – photography
References
- "Sirenia - An Elixir For Existence review". Metal Storm. 23 February 2004. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
- "Sirenia - An Elixir for Existence". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
- (2004). "An Elixir for Existence liner notes". In An Elixir for Existence [CD booklet]. Napalm.