We talk a lot about divas in the Metalverse. There are so many that most fans have given up on agreeing who should get wear single crown. Let's just say that most metal fans have their personal favorite. While it will be hard to talk anyone off of Doro Pesch, I have a special place in my cold, dark heart for Liv Kristine. There is so much to admire about her story: Her talent, her self-taught approach, her legacy. And with over 15 full-length albums across her many musical endeavors, she is still going strong. "River of Diamonds" will be her sixth solo album. It's due for release on April 21, 2023 on Metalville Records.

"River of Diamonds" comprises 12 tracks and closes in on an hour of playtime. There are two covers, "Pictured Within" by Jon Lord (DEEP PURPLE) and "True Colours" by Cindi Lauper. The remainder of the tracks range from heavy Goth "Our Immortal Day," featuring the 'beauty and beast' vocals which Liv arguably created in THEATRE OF TRAGEDY, to mainstream love songs like "Gravity" and "If I am Dreaming," to mid-tempo songs such as "In Your Blue Eyes," "River of Diamonds," and "Serenity."

All tracks were composed by Tommy Olsson (THEATRE OF TRAGEDY, LONG NIGHT) at his Black Rider Records studio in Tau, Norway. Guest vocalists include Østen Bergøy (LONG NIGHT, TRISTANIA) on "Our Immortal Day"; Fernando Ribeiro (MOONSPELL) on "River of Diamonds"; Kristine's sister, Carmen Elise Espenæs (SAVN, MIDNATTSOL), on "Love Me High"; and keeping it in the family, Michael Espenæs, Liv's husband, on "Pictured Within." In addition, Rocco Cogliati (aka Ecor) plays keyboards and pianos on "True Colours." Ecor also has appearances on Liv's "Enter My Religion."

My go-to tracks are "Immortal Day," which heralds back to the THEATRE OF TRAGEDY glory days; "In Your Blue Eyes" because I do verge into the sappy every now and, besides, Liv and Carmen together again; and the punchier "Love Me High" and "Serenity." I probably could have done without "Shaolin Me," which is a shame because it's over six minutes long, but I do appreciate the experimentation with some thing new.

"River of Diamonds" might be a hard sell to Extreme Metal fans, but those with a sense of history and those who are open to idea that our idols may have different paths to our own, it's certainly worth a spin or two. It's great to see Liv Kristine still active in the music scene. I do wish she would return to the dark and heavy, but, again, we each have our paths.