Hello everybody, we’re here today with Martijn from the band Eye of Melian. How are you?
Martijn - I’m great, doing great, thank you.

So, we’re here to talk about the album that just came out, but first of all I want to talk about your band. I heard it comes from Tolkien’s universe, even the name comes from it. Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Martijn - Yes, in the band we all love fantasy. We listen to audiobooks or read fantasy books, and we’re also really inspired by the whole world that Tolkien created, like The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion. And actually, Melian is a character from The Silmarillion. So we are very much inspired by that, and therefore we also love to make this kind of cinematic, fantasy vibe-ish kind of music, and that’s what we do.

And it really has that cinematic vibe. Do you see it more as storytelling or just songs?
Martijn - Well, it’s more about painting a certain vibe, and there are some songs with stories in them. There’s not a complete red thread story throughout all the songs combined. They’re separate songs, but some are more poetic and others are more concrete in terms of storytelling.

You’ve got this new album, Forest of Forgetting, which came out on February 20th, 2026. So where does the title come from?
Martijn - Well, first of all, we have a song on the album which is called Forest of Forgetting, and that is kind of about being able to leave your daily worries behind for a moment, step into the forest, forget about those worries, and be at peace. And this idea actually came from Robin, who writes most of the lyrics. At first, I thought that Forest of Forgetting meant forgetting your identity and who you are, which is kind of darker. But, it’s really about peace, and about forgetting the bad things for a while, and then stepping out of the forest refreshed. That’s a little bit what it’s about, and that’s what the album is named after.

What do you want the listener to feel after listening to the album?
Martijn - Like refreshed, inspired, just escaping daily life for a moment. Everybody has their routine in daily life, and this is about stepping into a different environment for a moment. That’s kind of what we want to offer ; this fantasy, a different kind of world. That’s the idea.

You opened this new era with the single Blackthorn Winter. How do you feel it prepares the listener for the album?
Martijn - Well, I think Blackthorn Winter has a lot of elements that Eye of Melian as a whole has. The song is a bit mysterious, it has some dark edges, but also some really hopeful and lighter vibes. And yes, we really love this kind of movie-core music that could be part of a fantasy film, and I think Blackthorn Winter really has that vibe. It’s actually about being in spring, and then suddenly it starts snowing again, like you don’t want winter anymore, but it comes back anyway. That’s a little bit what the song is about.

I feel like the orchestration plays a huge role in the album. How do you balance the orchestral elements with more traditional band instruments?
Martijn - Yeah, that’s the thing ; we don’t really have traditional band instruments. We have piano, which some might call traditional, but for example Johanna plays violin, and Robin plays some violin as well. So we don’t really have bass guitar or distorted guitar or anything like that. Fortunately, we don’t have to fit those elements into this kind of music, and because of that, everything feels very organic. It’s really like an orchestra, built as an orchestra, but with vocals on top. That’s actually a bit different from what people are used to, and I think that also makes it exciting.

And in the studio, during the creative process, did the music ever take an unexpected direction?
Martijn - Well, we always let ourselves be led by the music when we write. The way we work is that I write the song and I just start playing - I don’t have a fixed direction. If I feel inspired, I sit at the piano and things just happen. So in that sense, it’s always a bit surprising. But it usually ends up in this orchestral, movie-core direction. Then I give the song to Mikko, my bandmate, who has done orchestration for many bands, like Sonata Arctica and also for my other band Delain. When he starts elaborating on the arrangements, it really grows. Then it goes to Robin and Johanna. It’s a very organic process, and it’s always like a present, a treat, when someone comes back with what they’ve added. We all share the same vision of where the music should go, which is not always the case in bands. So in that sense, it’s not very unexpected but at the very beginning, when you start writing, you don’t know where it will end up. That part is unexpected.

You mentioned your other band, Delain, which is very rooted in metal, whereas Eye of Melian is much more symphonic and atmospheric. What made you want to explore that direction?
Martijn - Well, I’ve always been inspired and fascinated by movie-core music, by composers like John Williams, who did Star Wars, or Hans Zimmer, or Danny Elfman. That kind of music has always inspired me a lot, and I really wanted to explore it more. I talked about it with the people who are now in Eye of Melian -at the time it wasn’t even a band yet- and it resonated with them as well. That’s how it all started. With Delain, I also use orchestral elements, but it’s still very much a metal band, with riffs and that kind of structure. So it’s a different approach. With Eye of Melian, I can explore that other side of what I like to do.

And that leads to my next question: what’s the difference in your creative process?
Martijn - With Delain, I often have a target. Like, “I want to write this kind of song.” And then I start writing with that in mind. That’s very different from just sitting down and playing without a plan. Sometimes with Delain I also start by playing around with a theme, but then I quickly move toward building something structured, like adding a strong guitar riff. With Eye of Melian, it’s more like wandering. You just start playing and see what comes out. I don’t really care about having a traditional structure like verse-chorus-verse-chorus. With Delain, that matters more. So it’s a very different approach, but both are fun in their own way.

Eye of Melian is often described as symphonic metal, but the music feels much closer to orchestral and cinematic. Do you personally see it as a metal project?
Martijn - No, not really. Eye of Melian is not a metal project. Of course, there are connections, because I use some of the same symphonic elements as in Delain, but it’s really more like movie music, fantasy movie music. And that’s not metal at all. But I do notice that a lot of people who like metal also like fantasy. I like metal myself, but I also like many things outside of metal, and Eye of Melian is one of them. So there is definitely a connection.

A lot of metalheads are a bit nerdy.
Martijn - That’s true. I noticed that when I went to Comic-Con. It exists in many countries, with gaming, fantasy, and all that. I saw a lot of metal fans there. So yes, many metal fans are a bit geeky as well, like me. There’s definitely a connection.

How important are genres to you as a composer?
Martijn - Labels can be useful to introduce music to people, to give them a first idea of what it might sound like. But at the same time, labels are very general and don’t really capture everything that makes the music what it is. So they can be a bit dangerous, but also very helpful. It’s kind of a double-edged sword.

And if someone only knows you from Delain, what do you hope they discover about you through Eye of Melian?
Martijn - Well, it wasn’t really my intention to show another side of myself. It’s more that I simply enjoy making this kind of music as well. I hope it resonates with people who love fantasy in general, like The Lord of the Rings or fantasy books. That kind of world. That’s really what I aim for.

That sounds great. Is there something you’d like to say to people who listen to Eye of Melian?
Martijn - First of all, I’m very grateful that they take the time to explore this music. I hope it resonates with them, brings them peace, or gives them energy. And thanks to the people who listen to our music, we can keep doing what we love : making music. That means the world to us.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions today.
Martijn - Thank you so much for your interest in Eye of Melian as well. It was an absolute pleasure.