After Morten Veland left TRISTANIA, many fans enthusiastically embraced the albums of Veland's new band SIRENIA, while remaining skeptical about subsequent TRISTANIA releases — critics reacted the same way. On the 2001 and 2005 albums the sound became less heavy, yet at the same time much more dynamic, and growling vocals gradually displaced the male clean singing. The current album, "Illumination," the band's fifth, appeared in January 2007 and in many ways returns us to the traditions of early TRISTANIA, but in an entirely new interpretation. Let's look at it in more detail. The lead vocal parts, as on all the band's previous works, were performed by Vibeke Stene, the baritone parts are once again handled by Osten Bergoy, and after the departure of growler Kjetil Ingebrethsen, guitarist Anders Hidle took on those duties — he's been with the band since the first album, as have bassist Rune Osterhus, keyboardist Einar Moen, and drummer Kenneth Olsen.
So before us lies a 48-minute disc consisting of 10 compositions. The album hardly exudes heaviness — there is no growling here, and the music is very melodic. Why, then, do we perceive a retrospective of the old albums? It's hard to explain, but once again, for the first time since those days, a certain special grandeur and epicness appears that had almost vanished on the previous two releases. The gloom of "Ashes" (2005) is gone; in its place we hear an elevated and impassioned saga. And I am practically certain the album will appeal to fans of the band's early work. Among the tracks I would especially highlight "Destination Departure" for its truly unique sound, tinged with psychedelic rock.