Riddles, Ruins & Revelations

Riddles, Ruins & Revelations is the tenth studio album by Norwegian gothic metal band Sirenia. It was released on 12 February 2021 via Napalm Records.[4][5][6] The first single "Addiction No. 1" was released on 8 December 2020, along with a music video.[6] The second single, "We Come to Ruins", was released on 12 January 2021.[7] On 10 February 2021, the band released their third single which is a cover of French singer Desireless, "Voyage, voyage".[8]

Riddles, Ruins & Revelations
Studio album by
Sirenia
Released12 February 2021
StudioAudio Avenue Studios (Tau, Rogaland)
GenreSymphonic metal, synth-pop
Length50:26
LanguageEnglish, French
LabelNapalm
ProducerMorten Veland
Sirenia chronology
Arcane Astral Aeons
(2018)		 Riddles, Ruins & Revelations
(2021)		 1977
(2023)
Singles from Riddles, Ruins & Revelations
  1. "Addiction No. 1"
    Released: 8 December 2020
  2. "We Come to Ruins"
    Released: 12 January 2021
  3. "Voyage Voyage"
    Released: 10 February 2021
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Blabbermouth7.5/10[1]
Metal Hammer[2]
Ghost Cult Magazine7/10[3]

It was elected by Metal Hammer as the 24th best symphonic metal album.[9]

Background

Riddles, Ruins & Revelations was recorded and produced in its entirety at Morten Veland's personal studio (Audio Avenue Studios) in Tau, Norway in mid-2020. It is the first album of the band that does not feature additional recordings in Marseille with the mixed French symphonic choir (called the Sirenian Choir).

Sirenia's tenth album is a remarkable stylistic shift for the group, adding synth-pop to their usual symphonic metal musical style, opting for a more commercial bet which included the release of two music videos.

Certainly, the band moved away from the traditional gothic and symphonic sound that characterized them in the past, twenty years after their foundation. Veland said:

The album is very diverse, as a Sirenia album should be. There's a lot of material that shows the band from a new side, and there is lots of material that is to be expected from the band musically. All in all the album will take the listeners through a journey that will cover both familiar and unexplored musical landscapes.[...][6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Morten Veland, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Addiction No. 1"4:03
2."Towards an Early Grave"5:27
3."Into Infinity"4:41
4."Passing Seasons"4:43
5."We Come to Ruins"5:12
6."Downwards Spiral"5:55
7."Beneath the Midnight Sun"4:43
8."The Timeless Waning"4:04
9."December Snow"5:20
10."This Curse of Mine"4:18
Total length:50:26
Bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Voyage Voyage" (Desireless cover)Jean-Michel Rivat and Dominique Dubois4:18
Total length:54:44

Personnel

Credits for Riddles, Ruins & Revelations adapted from liner notes.[10]

Sirenia

  • Morten Veland – harsh and clean vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, programming, mixing, mastering, engineering
  • Emmanuelle Zoldan – female vocals, French translation
  • Nils Courbaron – guitars
  • Michael Brush – drums

Additional musician

  • Joakim Næss – clean vocals in "Downwards Spiral"

Production

  • Gyula Havancsák – cover art, design, layout
  • Richelle ter Heege – photography

Charts
Chart performance for Riddles, Ruins & Revelations
Chart (2021) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] 89
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] 18

References
  1. "Riddles, Ruins & Revelations - SIRENIA". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 8 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  2. Cooper, Ali (10 February 2021). "Sirenia's Riddles, Ruins & Revelations album review". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  3. Alcock, Gary (8 February 2021). "ALBUM REVIEW: Sirenia - Riddles, Ruins & Revelations". Ghost Cult Magazine. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  4. Bauer, Simon (8 December 2020). "SIRENIA: "Riddles, Ruins & Revelations"-Album für Februar 2021 angekündigt". Rock Hard Magazine. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  5. Pessina, Luca. "SIRENIA: ascolta la nuova "Addiction No. 1"". Metalitalia (in Italian). Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  6. "SIRENIA To Release 'Riddles, Ruins & Revelations' Album In February". Blabbermouth. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  7. "SIRENIA: 'We Come To Ruins'-Single is online". Rock Hard Megazine. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  8. "SIRENIA Release Cover of DESIRELESS' '80s Hit 'Voyage Voyage'; Music Video". BraveWords. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  9. Davies, Hywel; Dome, Malcolm; Goodman, Eleanor; Chantler, Chris; Gordon, Connie; Grady, Spencer; Rees, Adam; Selzer, Jonathan (17 November 2021). "The 25 best symphonic metal albums". Metal Hammer. Future plc. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  10. (2021). "Riddles, Ruins & Revelations liner notes". In Riddles, Ruins & Revelations [CD booklet]. Napalm.
  11. "Offiziellecharts.de – Sirenia – Riddles, Ruins & Revelations" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  12. "Swisscharts.com – Sirenia – Riddles, Ruins & Revelations". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
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