StarVox

Elenium is one of those rare bands that manage to do things badly and still sound great. Whether their missteps are total flukes - beginner's luck - or an intentional bending of the rules, I can't say. But as I continue to listen to for giving - for getting, I'm inclined to trust the band's ability. You see, they play metal that is undeniably technical. The riffs and drums will kick your ass, the angry singer can shift seamlessly into evocative clean melodies, the keyboards are surprisingly moving, and the bizarre solos sometimes feature the chaotic blippiness of the death metal squiggle solo style, but with a more impressive range of notes that makes them appear melodic even when they are not.

Yet Elenium is one of the most confounding bands I've come across. For all of their technical skill, their sense of melody and phrasing is highly unusual, to the extent that it often sounds like the work of amateurs. From the incongruous melodic tinges of "up the long ladder" to the absurd barrage of random noise on "subcreator", you might wonder if Elenium has ever heard non-metal music.

Much like Ephel Duath's recent album, The Painter's Palette, Elenium manages to play melodies in a way that would be terrible in any other context. That potential dross is passed through Elenium's Crazy Metalifier and morphed into something truly innovative and gripping. The end effect will henceforth be known as chaotic absurdist metal. Or CAM, as I'm fond of generating new acronyms. The heavy riffs, frightening melodies, engaging vocals, and occasionally spectacular keyboards give for giving - for getting a most endearing quality to fans of wacky metal.

At the end of the day, I still can't decide whether or not the members of Elenium are musically inept but technically proficient, musically brilliant but risky and experimental, or simply insane. And, at the end of the day, I don't really care. for giving - for getting is one heck of a ride, and if you enjoy any of the more bizarre strains of metal, you'll no doubt appreciate Elenium's style. If nothing else, the band will certainly encourage strong reactions. They even prompted me to invent a genre name just for their benefit. The first installment in the brand new Chaotic Absurdist Metal genre is a worthy one, so give it a listen.

Eric Rasmussen