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Eye Of Melian


Fugazi

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This appears to be a side project of Martijn Westerholt (Delain) with Robin La Joy Westerholt (his wife?) and Johanna Kurkela (Auri).

According to their website, "As the main songwriter of the metal band Delain, Martijn wanted an outlet to create lush orchestral fantasy music. In 2017, he teamed up with American lyricist Robin La Joy, a life-long fantasy enthusiast who spends much of her time immersed in books, particularly the works of Tolkien. Their mutual passion for fantasy-inspired music led them to the creation of Eye of Melian.

Eye of Melian’s ethereal and symphonic music has been described as movie score-like - unfolding epic and elegant storyscapes in the listener’s mind. Successful Finnish solo artist Johanna Kurkela’s angelic voice quickens the fantasy to full life. She is also known for her work in Auri, Altamullan Road, and Tuomas Holopainen’s album “Music Inspired by the Life and Times of Scrooge."

Also contributing to the project is Finnish orchestral arranger and producer Mikko Mustonen who has worked on many successful releases in various genres. It is his incredible talent in classical arranging that adds the final magical touch to the music.

The EoM crew - Martijn the heartbeat, Robin the soul, Johanna the voice, and Mikko the skeleton - aim to craft music which takes the listener away to sojourn dreamy landscapes and other-worldly realms. Their debut album is expected to be released in 2022 with the first single in fall of 2021."

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Intriguing concept, I am also a Tolkien fan and on paper the team has solid credentials. Not metal, but symphonic movie-like music sounds good.

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  • 1 month later...

I found a few more details about Eye Of Melian at: https://arrowlordsofmetal.nl/launch-of-eye-of-melian-music-project/

They mention the following (emphasis mine):

Quote

EYE OF MELIAN is:

Johanna Kurkela: Vocals
Martijn Westerholt: Keys, backing voices
Robin La Joy: Lyricist, Backing Voices
Classical arranger & co producer: Mikko Mustonen

With guest performences by
Leah: Voices
Troy Donockley: Whistles & electric guitars

Metal is a small world! So Troy and Johanna will reunite again on this album. And Leah is a Canadian (folk metal) singer that has has collaborated with Delain members before. Now, I know I'm reaching but could Leah become the next voice of Delain? She doesn't do tours though, so it might be impractical. 😐

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
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  • 3 weeks later...

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWYRTw9Kyl_/

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!!! 🔔

We FINALLY have a date set for our FIRST SINGLE!!! 🥳 "The Bell" will be released on December 8th! Prepare yourself to enter a wintery wood, all silent but for the inevitable tolling of the bell... ❄️🌲🔔

 

Also:

Quote

Welcome, fellow traveler, and thanks for checking out our page! We’ve already introduced each of the EoM members along with our individual roles, but allow us to tell you more about ourselves so you can get to know us a little bit better. 😁

We are Eye of Melian, comprised of a Fellowship 🧙‍♂️🧝‍♀️🤓 of four different people from three different countries – The Netherlands, United States, and Finland. (For a bit more on how we came to be, you can take a look at our biography which is posted on our Facebook page in the "about" section as well as on our website). All four of us are life-long, nerdy fantasy fans 🤓 and share a passion for ethereal and symphonic music. So we have had an incredibly exciting experience setting out on this journey to create fantasy-inspired music to share with all you kindred spirits out there! 💫💙🌙

As for our debut album, we’ll have more news for you in the coming weeks so stay tuned! 😇

In the meantime… here are some facts about us:

We are independent music (no record label is calling the shots) and because of this, we rely heavily on people sharing our music with others (hint, hint 😉)

Our music is crafted to sound like it came right out of a fantasy movie score

Our lyrics contain poetic Tolkien-type themes (though not ALWAYS direct Tolkien references…there are definitely some though! 🙃)

Here are some places you can find us:

🌟Website – www.eyeofmelian.com

🌟Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/eyeofmelian

🌟YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/EyeofMelian

🌟Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/eyeofmelian/_saved/
(For those who like to dazzle their eyes with breath-taking nature and all sorts of things fantasy! 🤩)

Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know us better and we welcome you to accompany us on this exciting and inspiring journey! Who knows what adventures lay ahead! 😃🗺️

~Eye of Melian

P.S. If you do want to join us on this epic odyssey and make sure you don’t miss out on any updates directly from us first, join our EoM email Fellowship! You can do so by clicking the link below!

Join now!!! 🥳 >>> https://mailchi.mp/eyeofmelian/email-fellowship. Or you can visit the link in our bio!

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
8 hours ago, Ocean Soul said:

I'm listening to this right now... It gives me goosebumbs! Johanna's voice with really powerful drums and symphonic orchestra. Can't wait for their debut album to be released! 

Indeed, Johanna makes everything fantastic! 🤩 Looking forward to the album, sometime in 2022...

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  • 3 weeks later...
 
Quote
We want to shed a little "light" on some details regarding our upcoming debut album!
✨ The title of the album will be "Legends of Light" 🌙✨☀️
✨ AND... it will be released in early summer of this year!
We are absolutely delighted with how the album has turned out (it's ALMOST done) and we can't wait to share it with you!
Take a moment to bask in the tranquil beauty of the album artwork. 😇✨ (Artwork by Jan Yrlund / Darkgrove Design)
........
Make sure you sign up to the EoM email Fellowship (newsletter) if you haven't already! We'll be sharing some news regarding our crowdfunding campaign soon. 🥳
 
From Facebook. So what is this crowdfunding about? Maybe they don't want to sign with a label but rather publish the album independently?
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  • 2 weeks later...

"Ready for another heavenly single? We've got one coming your way very soon! This song will whisk you away to celestial realms where the moon reigns over the night. "Doorway of Night" will be released on March 4th.

This song is a bit special because it contains some pretty strong allusions to some of our favorite fantasy literature. 🤓 Keep an ear open when you listen to it and let us know if you recognize the references! If not, no worries. 😊 We think you'll still relish being swept away into the resplendent beauty and grandeur of the night.

May the moon leave you a touch of magic in its wake, 

~Eye of Melian"

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On 3/4/2022 at 1:37 PM, Fugazi said:

Another strong vocal performance... and we can clearly hear Troy's flutes on this track!

This is such a beautiful song... I'm pretty sure that Martijn has stolen this from Tuomas' drawer and made it Eye Of Melian's song. Heard this one first time on this Tuesday, laying under a blanket in high fever. Yesterday I found out that I have corona. No worries though, this has been waaaaay much easier than I expected and it has been affecting me less than a normal flu. 🤘

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14 hours ago, Ocean Soul said:

This is such a beautiful song... I'm pretty sure that Martijn has stolen this from Tuomas' drawer and made it Eye Of Melian's song. Heard this one first time on this Tuesday, laying under a blanket in high fever. Yesterday I found out that I have corona. No worries though, this has been waaaaay much easier than I expected and it has been affecting me less than a normal flu. 🤘

Very sorry to hear that! 😢 I hope you're feeling better by now, take good care!

Yes, the Eye Of Melian crowdfunding campaign is on, and there are some interesting items available.

Introductory video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgMjKY3IGmw

Campaign store: https://eyeofmelian.merchstore.nl/

Johanna appears to be more than a guest singer, she's also involved in sharing the costs of the production and even knitting exclusive beanies!

Also, a release party is planned for the patrons:

Quote

Come hang out with us live at our online album Release Party! You automatically will receive one ticket for admission if you make a purchase from this campaign. During the party we will be chatting about the album, doing a Q & A of questions you guys ask, as well as some other exciting things!  You will receive an email with information about the date and all the details when the time gets closer.

Last but not least, the album is comprised of 2 CDs, including instrumental versions and bonus tracks.

TRACKLIST
CD 1
1. Doorway of Night
2. Vita Nova
3. The Homesong’s Call
4. Under the Grey Sky
5. The Bell
6. Everstrong
7. Wings of the Dawn
8. Adrift in Eternity
9. Light featuring LEAH
10. Rainfall

CD 2
1. Ainiaan (Adrift in Eternity – Finnish version)
2. Light (alternate ending)
3. Doorway of Night - instrumental
4. Vita Nova - instrumental
5. The Homesong’s Call - instrumental
6. Under the Grey Sky - instrumental
7. The Bell - instrumental
8. Everstrong - instrumental
9. Wings of the Dawn - instrumental
10. Adrift in Eternity - instrumental
11. Light - instrumental
12. Rainfall - instrumental

Guest performances by:
LEAH - featured vocals on Light
Troy Donockley - pipes and flutes
Shir-Ran Yinon - violins and violas

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