Eternal Elysium--Share
MeteorCity 2002
Like their Japanese counterparts Church Of Misery, Eternal Elysium are among the best Black Sabbath inspired pure doom bands in the world. However, in the case of Eternal Elysium, the sound is less straightforward--they produce a unique and complex sonic tapestry. They wear their influences proudly, combining it all in an original way on this their second CD, Share. In many instances on this album, the results are nothing short of groundbreaking.
As previously stated, Eternal Elysium are a pure doom band in the vein of Black Sabbath--this is the base of their sound. However, to pigeonhole what they do as nothing but Sabbath worship is to do Eternal Elysium a great disservice. The amount of varied sounds and influences they weave into their base sound on Share is incredible. Track eight, "Dogma", is a prime example of their unique brand of doom. It starts off with what sounds like Native American tribal drums and chanting. When the riffs finally kick in, Eternal Elysium manages to sound all at once reminiscent of vintage Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, and of course Black Sabbath--but never not sounding like themselves.
The amazing thing is that throughout all the twists and turns Share throws at you, Eternal Elysium always retains an originality and pure doom sensibility. Nowhere is this more evident than on "Movements and Vibes". This song is the highlight of the album and groundbreaking for the fact it is almost certainly the first ever disco/doom track to exist--and it's great. Imagine Pentagram doing a cover of the KISS foray into disco "I Was Made For Lovin' You" and you'll have a pretty good idea of what "Movements and Vibes" is all about. It is amazingly groovy without sounding like typically stagnate "stoner" rock, while at the same time being undoubtedly doom. An absolute triumph of a song and a new benchmark in originality for an entire genre.
At the end of the day, it all comes back to that Sabbath base, though. The reason pure doom endures while "stoner" rock is consistently disposable is because the best of doom bands are very clear about the fact that the first Black Sabbath album is essentially a blues recording. They recognize and respect that if you can master the blues in its purest, simplest form, there's nothing you can't do musically. Eternal Elysium is one of those bands. They have taken some dangerous chances with many of the influences they chose to introduce into their sound on Share. However, because they have such strong and healthy roots musically, every one of those gambles paid off. Share is an essential educational listen for beginning riff-mongers and a reinvigorating one for rock veterans. In fact, this album is sure to thrill all who just love great music, period--regardless of genre. Score it now.
Score this CD directly from METEORCITY
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