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Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull |
From even a simple Email interview, you get the impression Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull is one classy chick. Then again, a lot’s been going her way of late, leaving her little room to complain.
Two years ago, she married the love of her life, fellow musician Alexander Krull of Atrocity fame. Together, they’ve had a son, Leon, and, with the members of Atrocity, she has formed Leaves’ Eyes, a band that mixes traditional elements of metal with the richness of kettledrums, string arrangements and the history of her native Norway, calling it “history gone rock.”
Of course, everything wasn’t always coming up Liv. When she departed for Germany to live with Alexander, a rift formed between herself and the rest of Theatre of Tragedy, her former band. Following the release of two coolly received albums (Musique in 2000 and Assembly in 2002), Liv went to check her Email one day to discover that she had been unceremoniously kicked out. No notice, no warning, at least according to Liv.
But with Leaves’ Eyes most people, seemingly overnight, have forgotten this radiant songstress was ever in any other band. For those keeping score, since Liv’s exit, she has recorded two critically acclaimed albums and is in the process of recording her first solo record in seven years for Roadrunner Records while the ToT camp has been eerily quiet with only irregular website updates and a couple of short demo clips from early 2004 to prove they’re still breathing.
Holding little regard for the phrase “sophomore slump,” Leaves’ Eyes’Vinland Saga is a multi-layered, multi-faceted musical masterwork, currently high on the list for “Album of the Year” honors. It has been a privilege to communicate with Mrs. Espenaes Krull and get some insight into her life now, her years with Theatre of Tragedy and whether or not, after two years since that fateful Email, whether or not her and her former band mates have finally been able to bury the hatchet.
MusicTAP: What is the origin of the band’s name and what exactly does it mean? Does it have any connection to your own name?
Liv Kristine: I wanted to create a band name, which sounds like and includes my first name “Liv,” i.e. I was looking for a homophone for "Liv.” Moreover, "leaves" is connected to Nature and Nature has always been the biggest inspiration source for me.
MT: You mention in the Vinland Saga press release how you’ve been particularly homesick the last couple years. Have you made Germany your permanent place of residence? Is the new album something of a way to bring Norway to Germany?
LK: You are absolutely right. Vinland Saga is to me a piece of my homeland. Moreover, it helps me dealing with the homesickness I’m facing since I made Germany my permanent place of residence. Interestingly, since the birth of Leon I’ve become even more aware of how much I miss Norway and my family. We will stay in Germany for many years ahead, but someday we will move to Norway (Alex has agreed – thank heaven!). This is the reason why I’ve decided to keep my Norwegian passport. However, I am very happy in Germany. We have a little house in the forest and it’s wonderful to live in such a peaceful area with a lot of Nature.
MT:Vinland Saga sounds a lot richer and more layered than Lovelorn, Leaves’ Eyes debut album. From the kettledrums to vocal layering to the subject matter, it definitely feels like a more solid release. What do you feel contributed to making this, what some might call, a superior album?
LK: Thank you so much for your compliment! We are so happy that the production is finished! We are 100% satisfied with the album and it warms my heart that the feedback from both press and audience has been fantastic all the time! Having released Lovelorn a year ago (to me it was just overwhelming to experience such a fantastic “new “start after having been fired without any reason by a lousy Email from my first band Theatre of Tragedy), there certainly were high expectations to live up to for our second album. I was a bit worried from the start if we were able to be better than on our debut because I’m really satisfied with Lovelorn, too. All I can say is all the sleepless nights and the hard work were absolutely worth it. Moreover, to work with my friends from Atrocity, who are highly professional, in our own studio (www.mastersoundstudio.de) is fantastic!
MT: How did you and Alexander Krull meet?
LK: We met for the very first time about ten years ago as Theatre of Tragedy toured with Atrocity. However, we met again one year later and THEN it was getting serious with us. I moved to Germany, leaving my home country Norway about nine years ago. We married 03.07.2003 and I became “Frau Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull.” What a name!
MT: What is it like to have your producer also be your husband?
LK: It’s wonderful to work with my husband, either he is next to me on the stage or in the studio. He is my best advisor and inspires me a lot. However, he is a perfectionist and sometimes I’d rather like going to bed whereas Alex is eager to continue the recordings. But as soon as the doors of Mastersound are closed, we forget about the music business. Sometimes we forget that we are married and that we actually have a private life to take care of. If we’re not being busy in the studio we love to be in the Nature with Leon, also doing sports. I love running, swimming and yoga. I also love reading and writing little stories myself.
MT: You write all of the lyrics but do you also contribute to the musical direction of the band?
LK: Everybody in the band is involved in the music writing process. The track “Amhran” was written only by me as an exception. Alex produced the album and I know the production is in the best hands.
MT: How is little Leon doing? How has becoming a mother changed your outlook on life and your music?
LK: Leon is doing fantastic, thank you! Since the birth of Leon my life has become even better than before. I’ve become more emotional, happier, less hectic and do not worry so much about little “problems” which appear in your daily life. The pregnancy was a fantastic experience as I felt extremely well and healthy all the time. Even my voice changed in a positive way. Leon Alexander was born 2 hrs after having recorded the last song for Lovelorn. Perfect timing from Leon’s side! To be both a mother and an artist is the best combination for me – two dreams have come true! The most fantastic thing, which has happened to me, is the birth of Leon. He is the most important thing in Alex’s and my life!
MT: How is the atmosphere of Leaves’ Eyes compared to the atmosphere of Theatre of Tragedy? How do the other members of the band respond to the music? Is it a ‘cohesive unit’? And how does the German band feel about playing music based on Norwegian history?
LK: The band members of Leaves’ Eyes are one unity and one family here at Mastersound studio. Each band member brings in his/her own influence and the working situation is very comfortable. The guys certainly support the idea of working with historically based concepts. They asked me to translate some of the lyrics I had originally written in English for Vinland Saga into Norwegian. The atmosphere is wonderful and the band is happy to be together, which was not the way we always felt in Theatre of Tragedy. The on-going discussions and the flow of band members coming and going were bad for Theatre of Tragedy. I just hated the jealousy in ToT.
MT: When you were with ToT, what made you and the band decide to do away with the Olde English style of lyrics in favor of a more modern vibe (for those unfamiliar, Theatre of Tragedy had, since their 1995 debut, almost Shakespearean styled lyrics. It came as something of a shock when they got rid of them for Musique in 2000 –ed.)? Do you feel it was the best decision at the time?
LK: Maybe. Today I’m not sure if it was right. I understand it if the audience didn’t like that change because it was a very big and radical step to take. I was more involved in the song- and lyric-writing process on the first three albums (Theatre of Tragedy (1995), Velvet Darkness They Fear (1996) and Aegis (1998)) as I moved to Germany before Musique.
MT: I recall a photo of you and Nell, ToT’s new singer, and you seemed pretty happy. Has the ‘bad blood’ between you and the band thinned out? Was there ever really any bad blood to begin with? Would you ever consider touring with them?
LK: After 1.5 years of silence, I invited ToT to a Leaves’ Eyes concert when we played in Norway, where the band lives. But the guys didn’t turn up, only Nell. We had a long and interesting talk. I hope they treat her better. My only problem with ToT was that I accepted too many things happening behind my back.
ToT played a concert in Germany a while ago [and] I decided to go to their concert. Unfortunately, I was stuck in a traffic jam so I entered the concert hall as they were playing their last song. I went straight into the first row and waved. The singer stopped singing and they seemed to be very shocked.
I asked them why they had fired me, they answered that the band had had a crisis and they decided to take a radical step, namely to throw their female singer out of the band (true, that was the most radical thing they could do). That was pretty easy as I am living in Germany and they (living in Norway) didn’t have to face me when telling me. Their message was then posted on their homepage before me knowing what was going on. To be thrown out of ToT was bad luck (10 years of work). However, Leaves’ Eyes is good luck and the best thing that could happen! Nell is a very nice person, and after I talked to the ToT guys I feel better, but touring with ToT is out of the question, at least now.
MT: What is the next step for the band? What about yourself?
LK: We will play a couple of festivals this summer (check out www.leaveseyes.de) and a European/American tour (Yeah! –ed.) will follow in the fall this year. I also signed a record deal with Roadrunner Records last year. We are in the middle of the recordings now. The album will be released in the fall this year. This is a dream coming true for me after having had to fight for my rights in front of court (I hate court so much!). It’s seven, eight years ago since I released my debut album Deus ex Machina. I’m so grateful to Roadrunner. One of the composers will be Peter Tatgren from Pain/Hypocrisy. Atrocity are also recording their next album very soon. And if possible, I would love to take Leon and my husband with me on holidays to Norway this summer!
MT: Thank you very much for the interview. I greatly appreciate it!
LK: Thank you very much! The pleasure is on my side!
Best wishes, Liv.
