Eilera Darker Chapter … And Stars Part I
by Joe Mis
Staff Writer
Darker Chapter… And Stars Part I is the latest genre bending release from French singer/songwriter Eilera and her eponymous band. A lot progressive, a little gothic, with a dash of blackness, Eilera’s voice is the centerpiece of this interesting and varied release.
With roots in Black Metal and Progressive Death Metal, Eilera (real name Aurélie Potin Suau) and guitarist Loic Tezenas have been playing together since the late 1990s, performing as part of Suspiria (which later became Chrysalis), and as the prog rock/electronica group Bliss. Melding experiences and influences from metal, prog, death , gothic, electronica, and even Celtic music, Eilera and Tezenas officially became Eilera in 2003. They refined their melodic sound, adding some orchestral instruments and hints of folk music – but continued to build around the strength of Eilera’s vocals. Jan Sormo joined as the official bassist and Jean Ferry picked up the drum sticks for the latest album, the band’s fourth official release (the band is currently unsigned after a number of years with Spinefarm Records, but searching for a new label).
“Marching Towards Dawn” opens the album, and is a very powerful instrumental piece with spoken vocals. It features some great work by bass and drums, and has a martial/military feel, as if they really are marching. “Don’t Go Fight” opens with great guitars and bass and quickly becomes an anti-war epic with finely crafted violin lines mixed in among the pounding bass and drums. Eilera’s voice is fairly unique to the metal genre, and takes a little getting used to. She has a voice probably more suited to pop or folk – soft and gentle, without any huge amount of power or obvious operatic qualities – but it grows on you as you listen. “Fly” is a true progressive track that glorifies the concepts of uniqueness and non-conformity. It is chock full of tempo changes, aggressive guitars with an amazing lead break and a mean cello line.
“Passport Please” is a short punchy track with a crunchy rhythm line, and contrasts nicely with soft and folk-like “Lucie After War” – Eilera’s voice at its best. The album wraps up with moody “Celtic” – which indeed has much Celtic flair and style, with big booming drums and amazing vocals and melodic violins.
If there is anything negative here, it is Eilera’s heavy French accent. She has a wonderful voice but at times is difficult to understand unless you are truly focusing on the music. The engineering and production is decent for a self-produced album, but the guitars seem to be almost all treble with little bottom end, and occasionally get washed out by the bass and drums, but the sound is consistent and solid throughout.
Overall, Darker Chapter… And Stars – Part I is an interesting album. It is not one that you’d put on as background music while you do something else, but rather an album that you play when you want to actively listen to music. If you are a fan of progressive rock or metal looking for something just a little different, give it a listen. You’ll fine Eilera’s music to be warm, living and breathing, with well thought out lyrics and fine musicianship all around. There are heavy tracks and light pieces simple melodies and complex rhythms, long songs and short ones. It is an album of contrast that somehow manages to achieve a remarkable sense of balance.
The album is available as a digital download from the band’s web site www.eilera.com, along with their past releases.
Genre: Progressive Metal
Band:
Eilera (vocals)
Jean Ferry (drums)
Jan Sormo (bass)
Loic Tezenas (guitar)
Additional musicians: Max Lilia (cello), Tony Canton & Laura Airola (violin), Yoann Le Gall (drums)
Track Listing:
1. Marching Towards Dawn
2. Don’t Go Fight
3. Fly
4. Passport Please
5. Lucie After War
6. Celtic
Label: Unsigned
Website: http://www.myspace.com/eilera , www.eilera.com
Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10