Elysion SILENT SCR3AM
by Derric Miller
Staff Writer
After building a strong amount of momentum on their debut, Greek band Elysion nevertheless parted ways with original singer Maxi Nil and instead went with the perhaps more vocally seductive Christianna on their sophomore release, SILENT SCR3AM. Going the alpha numeric route on the title may conjure images of an industrial band, but Elysion is even more Gothic and symphonic on SILENT SCR3AM, and the sterile beauty continues to flow from every single composition.
Founder Johnny Zero has a strong presence in each track, as he provided the synthesizers, guitars and programming. You get all three on the opener, “Dreamer,” and it doesn’t take more than a couple vocal passages to understand why the band chose Christianna—she is a skilled singer. It may be unfair that big fat ugly dudes can front a band and not be judged by their physical appearance, but the more often beauties front successful Metal bands the more bands will continue to look for both talent and appearance in their female singers, usually giving up one quality to gain another. Elysion gave up nothing by bringing Christianna into the fold.
“Killing My Dreams” is one of those Evanescence type hit songs, with overflowing melodies on the vocals, razor-sharp riffs surrounded by otherworldly keys, and a hooky chorus. The word “polished” doesn’t go far enough in describing the Elysion sound. Zero’s solo is one of his fiercest on the release, but it’s the refrain of, “You’re killing my dreams …” that you’ll remember the most from this track.
The ballad “Weakness In Your Eyes” allows Christianna to sing in a less Rock vibe and effortlessly croon in a Gothic voice you demand from this type of music. Petros Fatis on drums plays intricately yet behind the scenes, but here it’s the song itself that is the highlight, all members working perfectly together to craft what should be a major hit for the band.
If there is any negative on the release, it’s that the songs tend to run together. You can’t always hear an intro and immediately pick out what track it is, even after hearing them multiple times. On the other hand, they are all good, so who cares. “Bleeding” is one of those songs, one that begins with programming and keys, fires into guitars and then softens back to down-tempo verses that crescendo to a soaring chorus. Elysion may be on to a formula, and it works for them.
“Loss” is one mesmerizing track because you just get bass, guitars and vocals on the opening verse. The beat is hypnotic, and you can get lost in Christianna’s vocals, rich and standing aurally out front. After the first chorus, Zero lays into a fiery solo, intricate yet typically emotional, and the stark contrast from his solo to the next chorus is proof that Elysion wields plenty of talent.
The noisy “Erase Me” ends SILENT SCR3AM, more industrial than most of the other songs. Christianna speaks over the music at the onset, and this is the heaviest song on the album. The lead vocals don’t even start until 1:45 into the song, and they are accompanied by the spoken words from before. This is about the only track the accent somewhat gets in the way, but that’s negligible at best. Gothic music can sound antiseptic and cold at times, but the passionate vocals counter the more emotionless music, bringing it together for one of the more interesting compositions here.
Elysion shouldn’t lose any ground on their second release, and in fact, will gain more notoriety. It would be interesting to see Elysion step outside their comfort zone next time, maybe even cover a Heavy Metal anthem and put the Elysion spin on it, because it just seems like they could get heavier and not lose their overall personality. Regardless, SILENT SCR3AM has a lot to offer.
Label: Massacre Records
Online: http://www.myspace.com/elysionmyspace
Track listing:
1. Dreamer
2. Killing My Dreams
3. Never Forever
4. Weakness In Your Eyes
5. Don’t Say A Word
6. The Rules
7. Bleeding
8. Walk Away
9. Loss
10. Far From The Edge
11. Erase Me
Hardrock Haven rating: 7.3/10