Back in the early 2000s Gothic Metal bands were rising out of the European market in droves. Flooding the international scene with some really great music, some bands that you would immediately turn to would be Poisonblack, Lacuna Coil, or HIM. However, arriving out of Greece in 2006, came a band by the name of Elysion. A little later on in this special era of music, Elysion signed on with Massacre Records, releasing their impressive debut album Silent Scr3am in 2009. Following up with the Killing My Dreams EP in 2012, 2014 saw the release of their second album Someplace Better. Three solid entries, since then, it has been relatively quiet on the Elysion front. Leaving someone to wonder what they were up to, finally in 2023, they reemerge with the new album Bring Out Your Dead.
Their first full-length record in nearly a decade, Bring Out Your Dead was conceived during the worldwide lockdowns due to the pandemic of 2020. A rough time for everyone universally, Elysion took the darkness as inspiration, harnessing it into the positive force of music. An album featuring long-time Vocalist Christiana Hatzimihali, founding Guitarists Giannis “Johnny Zero” Giannikos and Nikos “NiD” Despotopoulos, there is also Ilias P. “Laitsman” Laitsas on drums, and 2022 addition, Andreas “AR” Roufagalas on bass. Together with their consistent Producer Mark Adrian, they bring together a comeback album that will leave a lasting impression.
Ten tracks in total, Bring Out Your Dead is a carefully honed collection that utilizes the tone Elysion showcased on prior works, but with a new found energy. More innovative than anything they have done before, the riffs are sharply crafted, the atmosphere is well-plotted, and Christiana’s delivery is on point. Led by the ear-catching single “Raid The Universe,” as well as the early release of the ambient sounds of “Crossing Over,” you would be cheating yourself if you did not dig further into this record.
To name a few, songs like “Blink Of An Eye,” “Eternity,” and “Blue Seasons” kick in with some fantastic guitar work, while others such “Buried Alive,” as well as “Brand New Me,” offer a more dark, mellow gothic tone. This is opposed to “As The Flowers Withers” and “This Time” which are also equally engaging.
In the modern era many fans hold out hope for something to roll around with a similar feeling to the early ‘2000s era of Gothic Metal, but much of what comes out falls short. That being said, Bring Out Your Dead is perhaps one of the best releases of this style of music in quite a long time. The intent is there, the writing is very good, and the presentation allows for each song to breathe without overcrowding. That is why Cryptic Rock praises the efforts of Elysion and gives Bring Out Your Dead 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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