Stalker Magazine

Elenium is one of those bands you have already heard of here in Finland, you might even have seen them live, but somehow they have not managed a breakthrough yet. This quintet from Vantaa is much closer to it, though, with this album, the second in the more than 10 year band history.

The listener will find Progressive Death Metal, slightly meshugga – or, “Meshugga light”, but this is not meant in a bad way. In detail, jazzy complicated drumming, mainly growled vocals but also hypnotic spoken parts (“Trail Of Beggars”), powerful mid-tempo Death Metal riffing on a smooth keyboard base. The latter can have Pop appeal or a crazy 60s TV series/amateur organ sounds, and sometimes this happens in the same song (“Human”). Brutal stuff and disturbing dark tracks (“Of The Man Who Died”), the finale has the orchestral epic dimension of Pink Floyd´s early works (“Velocity”). And the whole package comes with an excellent sound (Sonic Pump Studios).

Despite the occasional ear candy appeal, e.g. the title track, this CD cannot be grasped by listening just once... and I am not sure if I can ever fully understand it. A band that cannot be put into any category. But you could create an “Elenium” box and put it right next to the one with “Meschuggah”.

8,5 / 10

-Klaudia Weber -