Eye of Melian is the brainchild of Dutch songwriter and producer Martijn Westerholt, known for Delain and Within Temptation. 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 P. 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.

The following excerpt from one of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien imaginatively and beautifully embodies the essence and spirit of what the music of Eye of Melian aspires to be.

“Melian was a Maia, of the race of the Valar. She dwelt in the gardens of Lórien, and among all his people there were none more beautiful than Melian, nor more wise, nor more skilled in songs of enchantment. It is told that the Valar would leave their works, and the birds of Valinor their mirth, that the bells of Valmar were silent and the fountains ceased to flow, when at the mingling of the lights Melian sang in Lórien. Nightingales went always with her, and she taught them their song; and she loved the deep shadows of the great trees. She was akin before the World was made to Yavanna herself; and in that time when the Quendi awoke beside the waters of Cuiviénen she departed from Valinor and came to the Hither Lands, and there she filled the silence of Middle-earth before the dawn with her voice and the voices of her birds.”

The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien