Review | Elysion – Bring Out Your Dead

Massacre Records

Elysion released the predecessor to this new `Bring Out Your Dead’ in 2014, and I wonder what caused this long absence. Whatever the reason was, the Greek band certainly sounds reborn with vocalist Christiana Hatzimihali belting out an insane delivery. The charismatic eye catcher of the band grown and the band’s performance on `Bring Out Your Dead’ is overall astounding!

Where both previous albums suffered by comparison, the new album features 10 invigorated symphonic heavy rocking tracks piling melodic hooks and progressive breaks on top the melodic prowess presented. Elysion reports back with a blast.

A GREAT SOUNDTRACK

Jagged raw riffs and with tumultuous breaks atop its sturdy groove, ,,Blink of an Eye” immediately raises the bar of expectations. Not the typical sympho-goth voice, Christiana displays a modern metal range topped off with power and metallic appeal. The chorus and melody are nesting on the spot and with Johnny Zero holding up the prestigious riff drive and NiD adding the intricate great harmonizes on guitar, finding laurels during the wonderful solos, Elysion brings a great soundtrack of the past pandemic to the plate. With Zero also handling keys, the symphonic goth appeal is guarded, as displayed in the tasteful melodic ,,Crossing Over” that brings out the best in the band. FXF’s sturdy puling bass closes the gaps in the mix, while Illias Laitsas’ drums are solid and grooving.

Subtle time changes and dynamic tom use add to the wonderful tune. Intricate melodies and kicked grooves bring ,,As the Flower Withers” and the nesting ,,This Time” to the front with great musicianship executed. When Elysion injects the turmoil and displeasure of the past couple of years into their songs, dynamics go up, like on the ragged riff driven ,,Far Away”, and the wonderful ,,Raid the Universe” with its (subtle) modern synth and keys raining towards its excellent melodic chorus. 

AN EMOTIONAL BRIDGE

Delving deeper in the melancholic tone, ,,Buried Alive” clings an insane towering melodic bridge full of drizzling keys to a moaning chorus, pouring with agony that finds pitch in its spiralling solo. Christiana holds up with a wide ranged vocal delivery, switching clean to melodic pitches and holding her ground on the welling emotional bridge and chorus. In a heavier setting ,,Brand New Me” comes across with deeper emotional outpour morphing glorious, hinting at the reborn moment following the world’s disastrous cope of the outbreak. The breaks and rich drum-fills underneath the pitched vocal melody stress the lyrical content, while push the message. There’s a lot of agony in the melodic vocal delivery, but it oozes the rebirth into this “new freedom” found. Pressing the feeling is the guitar solo dropping on us in Gilmour meets Vai fashion, unloading a sea of tears.

THE FAILURE OF HUMANITY

Closing the album in summarizing fashion almost, Elysion goes more glorious celebrating leaving behind the troubles of times. ,,Blue Seasons” wells with emotion and packs a stride with sudden double kicked pace of drums to revive its simple but effective choral melody. ,,Eternity” holds on to the uplifting moment but is created around a growling bass lick that pulls the song into a hard-hitting chorus chockfull of guitars switching between towering riffs and lush (but heavy) melodies discharging. Keys pump up the atmosphere and Hatzimihali belts an insane job as the song transforms midway for ethereal rest, gradually repowering underneath her soprano chants. The song drops and reforms to its initial phrased chorus for a powerful breakdown.

Elysion, like Liv Sin, takes the state of the world during the pandemic as the axis of their new album. Where Jagrell and her band delve out the agony, Zero and his comrades raid the melodic boundaries with this more pompous release. `Bring Out Your Dead’ is a wonderful album full of nesting melodies drawing you close, and the band redefining their sound. They have matured gracefully and the songs flourish with melody. Elysion addresses the failure of humanity on our earth in a harmonious way, but stresses the need for change. The album is a dynamic rock album cooking up a symphonic melodic goth style full of metal appeal, packing a message.

Release date: 17 March 2023