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Elyrean - Blacken The Sun review




Bandcamp music player
Reviewer:
9.2

2 users:
7.5
Band: Elyrean
Album: Blacken The Sun
Website: http://https://elyreanthrash.bandcamp.com/
Release date: December 2019


01. Where The Light Has Failed To Reach (Prelude)
02. Unhallowed
03. Distorted Reality
04. Blacken The Sun
05. The Smouldering Of Ashes (Interlude)
06. Fallen Ground
07. Swarming Darkness

Most of us know of fantastic albums that combine metal genres, such as blackened death, blackened thrash, death/doom, etc. The danger when merging multiple influences into one work is that it could sound disjointed and fragmented, leaping to and fro, resulting in an incoherent mess. However, Elyrean has assembled an impressively cohesive yet completely diverse work that is worthy of any metal fan's ear (and coin, for that matter).

Bottom line - Elyrean's Blacken The Sun EP (EP my ass, it's 40 minutes long) is an excellent, genre-bending 7-chapter mythological horror story that blends elements of atmospheric black metal, technical thrash, progressive melodeath, and neoclassical power metal. It is an incredibly mature release that is bounding with energy, aggression, and intensity.

Breakneck thrash-influenced riffs? Check.
Neoclassical guitar with atmospheric/symphonic strings and woodwind? Check.
Blackened shrieks, death metal snarls, and thrash howls? Check.
Melody, technical artistry, and obviously tight and talented musicianship? Check, check, and check.

Blacken The Sun opens by crafting a haunting tone and epic atmosphere replete with chiming bells, ravens, light rainfall, a wolf howling in the distance, and a multi-string section. Take a look at the cover art and consider how it might sound? You'll find out soon enough, as track one paints the cover art flawlessly against the aural backdrop of an impending thunderstorm.

This dark, eerie tone flows straight into old-school Bay Area-esque riffage, rumbling bass lines, death-thrash screams, and strings with dual harmony guitar leads. The 7-minute opus fades slowly as the faint rainfall returns, building with an atmospheric string crescendo to more thrashing riffage that follows.

This is a recurring musical theme throughout the release: a beautiful somber interlude - perhaps as a full song ("The Smouldering Of Ashes") or a bridge within a song. An uptempo time change. Brutal thrash riffage. Soaring guitar work that alternates between heavy chugging and neoclassical/power metal guitar harmonies. A drum march, perhaps a bit of doom/dirge. An atmospheric fade out. Next song loads and the attack reinitiates.

Lyrically, the influences mentioned on Elyrean's bandcamp page include Lovecraft and Greek mythology, and this shines throughout the record.
"My sanity splits at the seams, hollow shell of perfected beauty, so close yet out of reach."
"Tear down the skies, as flames ignite.
Eclipse the light, casting my shadow, I'll blacken the sun."

Standouts include "Distorted Reality", the most distinctly classic thrash song here (with some of the best apocalyptic lyrics), as well as the title track and "Fallen Ground". That said, there isn't a single weak moment on this release. Every album, of course, MUST have a weakness. I'm sure as I continue to listen, I'll eventually figure out what it is.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 8
Production: 10

Written by sgtrobo | 03.01.2021




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.


Comments

Comments: 11   Visited by: 34 users
04.01.2021 - 17:09
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
To me its more as a album.
----
Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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05.01.2021 - 06:26
Rating: 8
sgtrobo

Written by Bad English on 04.01.2021 at 17:09

To me its more as a album.


what do you mean?
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05.01.2021 - 08:12
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by sgtrobo on 05.01.2021 at 06:26

Written by Bad English on 04.01.2021 at 17:09

To me its more as a album.


what do you mean?

Its not a EP, but album as it lenght
----
Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
Loading...
06.01.2021 - 00:04
Rating: 8
sgtrobo

Ah yes, totally agreed. Heck, it is an EP that is longer than half of Vader's discography!
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06.01.2021 - 17:29
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
Hey, congrats on your first review!
----
Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
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06.01.2021 - 17:55
Rating: 8
sgtrobo

Thanks! hope it didn't suck.
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06.01.2021 - 18:51
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
Written by sgtrobo on 06.01.2021 at 17:55

Thanks! hope it didn't suck.

My first review sucked a lot more.
----
Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
Loading...
08.01.2021 - 06:46
Rating: 8
sgtrobo

Written by RaduP on 06.01.2021 at 18:51

Written by sgtrobo on 06.01.2021 at 17:55

Thanks! hope it didn't suck.

My first review sucked a lot more.


ouch! damning with faint praise...well we all gotta start somewhere
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19.02.2021 - 03:57
chomskeet

Written by sgtrobo on 08.01.2021 at 06:46

Written by RaduP on 06.01.2021 at 18:51

Written by sgtrobo on 06.01.2021 at 17:55

Thanks! hope it didn't suck.

My first review sucked a lot more.


ouch! damning with faint praise...well we all gotta start somewhere


Other than the score being too high I think it was a solid review, I had a good sense of what the album was going to be like so big thanks. As far as the album goes it's a solid release and has plenty of strong moments, I also am a sucker for this genre so it was a welcome release. I can't say I'd choose this over the earlier releases by Sylsosis which this seems really similar to imo. It also seems more like progressive thrash to me rather than technical thrash which is what it's labeled on MS. I see this is from 2019, do they have a full release pending?
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19.02.2021 - 08:41
Rating: 8
sgtrobo

Written by chomskeet on 19.02.2021 at 03:57


Other than the score being too high I think it was a solid review, I had a good sense of what the album was going to be like so big thanks. As far as the album goes it's a solid release and has plenty of strong moments, I also am a sucker for this genre so it was a welcome release. I can't say I'd choose this over the earlier releases by Sylsosis which this seems really similar to imo. It also seems more like progressive thrash to me rather than technical thrash which is what it's labeled on MS. I see this is from 2019, do they have a full release pending?


Their EP was 40 minutes, so I think they mislabeled it as an EP. Read a few interviews, and they think it should be out this year, it'll be ~60 minutes. They also did mention that they are huge Sylosis fans.
as for genre tags, fuuuu....I dunno man, really tough to pin them down. technical progressive thrash makes sense to me
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09.07.2022 - 15:36
Rating: 7
F3ynman2000
Nocturnal Bro
Yo! This music's right up my alley! Thanks for sharing this progressive, technical thrash/death gem! And, although I know I'm very late to this party, but congrats on your first review!
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