Elysian

Wires Of Creation

Written by: PP on 11/09/2012 05:43:03

The stellar heavy music scene of Australia strikes again, this time with Melbourne based Elysian showing many of their international peers how melodic death metal / metalcore is done, and it's all DIY. "Wires Of Creation" is only their debut album, yet it's been a while since I've heard a record as well-produced and convincing as a self-released one as this one, which is probably why the band have earned great distribution worldwide through a bunch of well-known and respected PR firms.

Stylistically, Elysian lie at a halfway point between melodeath and metalcore, just like their closest contemporaries in Darkest Hour. They have some spectacular guitar work at times, whether in the form of melodically ringing treble guitars of "Sigma", the astonishing solo work in "Conquest", or the wealth of intricate riffs in general. They also have a knack for making the songs stand out from one another, thanks in no small part to their excellent vocalist, whose Randy Blythe (Lamb of God) esque clear, decipherable growl is both powerful and dominating. The progressive metalcore lean of the song structures helps here as well, of course, though it should be underlined here that clean vocals are non-existent throughout the album.

Instead, the band channels their In Flames / Dark Tranquillity style Gothenburg metal through a metalcore filter without resorting in the usual traps that such an approach often tempts you with. Breakdowns, for instance, are almost completely absent from the mix, leading into an organically flowing, dynamic sound. These are occasionally replaced with Meshuggah-inspired djent sequences, or alternatively ambient sequences where the band fully delve into atmospherics. Such passages are almost always followed by great crescendos and bridges into yet better verse/chorus sections in a way that few metalcore bands in 2012 are able to do. When you add in great storytelling in the lyrics ("Conquest" tells the story of Alexander The Great as far as I can tell) and a bunch of catchphrases, you have an excellent release in the genre. Also, "Sigma" might be one of the best songs I've heard by a melodeath leaning band in years.

8

Download: Conquest, Sigma, Mans Design
For the fans of: Darkest Hour, Dark Tranquillity, In Flames, Lamb Of God,
Listen: Facebook

Release date 26.03.2012
Self-Released

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