Band:	Elysion
Album:	Silent Scream
Style:	Symphonic gothic metal
Release date:	December 2009

01. Dreamer
02. Killing My Dreams
03. Never Forever
04. Weakness In Your Eyes
05. Don't Say A Word
06. The Rules
07. Bleeding
08. Walk Away
09. Loss
10. Far From The Edge
11. Erase Me

It's rare for me to receive a gift from anyone that, from the first moment I open it, it's exactly what I hoped for. Gazing upon the simple, yet enigmatically dark artwork of Silent Scream, courtesy of Natalie Shau, I knew what I expected from Elysion's debut. And, after numerous listens, I'm confident the band's mix of accessible gothic, hard rock, and electronic and synth touches are the album the band had hoped to deliver.

Coming from a band formed as recently as 2006, the crystal clear sound quality and thoroughly worked arrangements surprised me, as well as the consistently high quality of songs from the start to the finish of Silent Scream. There's some smart variations of styles, which gives me the same feeling as a cold, starlit night as a calm tide pushes in the black waters. At once there is a methodical and structured pace that numerous soft waves push in, and then there is that series of moderate crashes that remind you that the sea is just full of some mysterious energy waiting beneath. Silent Scream is not an album for someone needing an aggressive shove down a rocky cliff, but instead is intended for someone content on reflecting upon the stars, with a pleasantly melancholic mood mixed with those occasional stings as a memory washes over.

With songwriting centered around guitarist and programmer Johnny Zero, this eleven songs of simple yet addicting melodies, many of which feature some short solos, or industrial and symphonic touches that add some necessary diversity. Drumming style is straightforward and built around adding some anticipation to the central points of the songs, and to highlight the powerfully somber vocals of Christianna.

You know how when you hear a vocalist that first time, you wonder if each song he or she sings in is going to match that first impression? Sometimes it's a disappointment, other times a vocalist surprises you, and other times that vocalist stays true to that first impression. Christianna is in that final category, never straying far away from the tight focus that Elysion's music has. She lays out beauty, longing, and darkness, but without the demands that other singers put on the listener. There's no need to adjust, no need to learn her style. In a sense, it's a classy female vocal style that could fit perfectly behind the mask that stares back at you on the cover of Silent Scream. She never falters, and, while she doesn't experiment much, she is as consistently strong as the rest of the album is throughout.

Some recommended tracks are "Killing My Dreams" and "Never Forever" for solid hits, and I personally enjoy "Erase Me" a lot and "Walk Away," as they have some of the album's more unusual flair and added foundation of aggression. I think this is a top notch album for fans of the style looking for a perfect production and a new voice in the female fronted scene. And though it may not convert metal fans averse to this type of music much, I'm fully satisfied with an album that delivers exactly what I wanted, without strings or without mistakes.