I promised something a little different this week, so let me introduce you to the band Narnia, a Swedish, Christian, melodic, power metal band. What drew me in initially was their name and the link to the ‘Chronicles Of Narnia’, book series.
If you’re not familiar with the books, it is a set of adventures that begin as four children enter the magical land of Narnia, through the back of a wardrobe. They are written by C. S. Lewis and the books have a Christian theme running through them with Aslan the lion, one of the main characters, representing Jesus.
The band haven’t just taken the name, some of their songs are actually based on various themes throughout the books. I have to say, initially I liked the whole concept of the band, but I wasn’t that keen on their style of rock.
That changed however, when I watched a video of a live concert in Switzerland, recorded back in 2019. I think watching, as well as listening, made it all come to life for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed the whole one hour and twenty-six minutes of it, including the two encores. Now I can confidently say that I am a big fan of Narnia. The guitar solo pieces, which occur quite often, are amazing, as are the lead vocals.
I find some live performances can be quite disappointing vocally but Christian Liljegren was outstanding. Who needs AI when you can have a real voice like that. I’ll put the concert here. If you enjoy this kind of music, I strongly recommend watching; you won’t be disappointed.
I’ve chosen three of my favourite tracks to share with you, the first being ‘The Witch And The Lion’ here, depicting the battle between good and evil. I’m currently reading the Narnia books, so I’m enjoying seeing the links in the songs.
‘Long Live The King’ is a phrase used in the books regarding Aslan the true king of Narnia. I love this track, this is one that sticks in my mind. They are very powerful lyrics, both in the book and in real life. You can listen here.
Lastly I’m going to have to choose ‘Living Water’. I’ve found the official music video for this one here. It’s another powerful track. The band have a lot of musical interludes, with amazing guitar and synthesizer solos, which just shows what great musicians they are.
One thing I love about this blog, is that in doing it I have explored many more genres and bands that I probably would never have looked at before. In doing so, I have found some gems that have become firm favourites, and I can now safely say that Narnia has become one of them.
I hope you enjoy listening and exploring them for yourselves, now I’m going to continue with my reading of the ‘Chronicles Of Narnia’. They are written for children, but I am really enjoying them and finding them hard to put down.
Thank you for reading and see you again next time.
