All too often among long-time Heavy Metal fans the consent is that there are no exciting newer bands. Well, this could not be further from the truth. Usually, they just simply stop looking, and in 2023 these new bands are not put on a platter to see. Instead, we must seek them out. Coming from Sweden back in 2014, a classic case of seek and you shall find is the Dark Symphonic Metal act called Eleine. Now, there is no question the Scandinavian region has a very rich, authentic Metal history…. so, it is great to see newer bands like Eleine still rising up.
Recently finishing up a North American tour with Moonspell, Eleine also released the brand-new album We Shall Remain on July 14th through Atom Fire Records. An explanation points to a big year for the band, Lead Vocalist Madeleine Liljestam taking the reins, alongside Rikard Ekberg on guitar/guttural vocals… and they are pretty unstoppable. Rounding out the team is Jesper Sunnhagen behind the drum, while newest member, Filip Stålberg, is on bass.
A follow up to their 2020 album Dancing in Hell, We Shall Remain is overall their fourth studio album. Complete with ten new songs, it starts off “Never Forget,” and this is a great example of how the band mixes serene with guttural vocals all while keeping the guitars’ more extreme sounding. Then with “Stand By The Flame” Liljestam’s clean, beautiful vocal range is explored to perfection as the strings and drums keep them grounded.
For a little twist of mood, “Promise Of Apocalypse” offers a feeling of symphonic doom as the vocals reflect the tone effectively. Moving forward, after the fast and fun “Blood In Their Eyes,” the album presents the appealing non-vocal interlude “Vemod.” This is before exploding once more with a great vocal dual exchange on “Through The Mist,” and it somehow really creates a visual mist effect.
To conclude We Shall Remain, Eleine choose two of the most intricate, passion-filled songs – “War Das Alles” and the title-track. The first of the duo has a bit of Black Metal undertones mixed with some very soft serenity in Liljestam’s delivery. Working well and creating a dynamic effect, as this fades, the title-track crashes in with a bit more of a Death Metal vibe further exhibiting the band’s diversity.
Eleine is a band that seems to be driven by emotion and healing. This is even apparent in We Shall Remain’s fiery album cover design; which features a female caught in flames between two witch-like hands that seem to possess great power. In all, what remains special about this new album is that it keeps an Extreme Metal skeletal structure within the songs that the band can fly away with and layer over however they please.
Furthermore, in order to truly appreciate Eleine you really need to dive into all they have to offer; including seeing them in a live setting. The live setting provides a clearer picture of just how intricate the inner-workings of the male and female voices truly are, plus how their stage presence exemplifies what the music is already saying. A force to be reckoned with, and an album worth checking out, Cryptic Rock gives We Shall Remain 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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