Meredead is the fourth studio album by the German/Norwegian symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes. It was released on 22 April 2011 on Napalm Records. The Deluxe Edition of the album contains a bonus DVD with five songs from a live performance recorded at the Metal Female Voices Fest, in Wieze, Belgium, on 24 October 2010.
The title is inspired by the Old English compound noun meredÃÂað, literally "sea-death", which is attested (in the genitive plural meredÃÂaða) in the passage rodor swipode meredÃÂaða mãst, literally: "the greatest quantity of sea-deaths scourged the skies", in Exodus, the second poem of the Junius manuscript, in the section telling the story of the Crossing of the Red Sea. Alternatively, meredÃÂað could be translated as "sea of death" or "deadly sea" in view of a later passage in the same text: meredÃÂað geswealh, literally "sea-death swallowed". On her website, Liv Kristine explicitly recommends Marsden 2004, and quotes the explanation for meredÃÂað given in the book, saying that Meredead could be translated as "dead by the sea".
Produced by Alexander Krull, the album blends the folk elements from earlier works to shape Meredeads atmospheric tone. The opening track, "Spirits' Masquerade," incorporates folk instrumentation, enriching the albumâÂÂs diverse sound. Tracks like ÃÂtaÃÂn and Sigrlinn lyrically evoke the mysticism of ancient cultures, featuring uilleann pipes to enhance their thematic depth. The album also includes more traditional songs, such as Nystev and KrÃÂ¥kevisa; the latter employs the Scandinavian nyckelharpa, or keyed fiddle. A cover of To France reinterprets the tragedy and emotion of Mike Oldfield's classic. Supporting vocals and instrumentation on the album are provided by Maite Itoiz and John Kelly (Elfenthal), Carmen Espenæs, the Norwegian Anette Guldbrandsen, and Victor Smolski's Lingua Mortis Orchestra.