Months after the tragic passing of vocalist Sabine Duenser, Elis
releases a new album that in many ways, marks a new beginning. Griefshire is
a concept album about two brothers' religious fanaticism and the search
for salvation, truth, and love. With the talents of the band, the
concept gets played out with powerful emotions and melodies.
While known as a Gothic metal band, Elis has hardly fit the stereotypes
that characterize the bands of the genre. Griefshire continues the
band's defiance of the stereotypes by incorporating faster melodies in
songs such as "Tales from Heaven or Hell", "Show Me the Way", and "The
Burning." That does not mean Elis is entirely out of the Gothic metal
genre altogether, as there are some slower passages and ballads that are
sometimes over the top for the genre. One of the things that makes the
album worth a listen is that the emotions the band wants to display are
correctly tied to the songs that are supposed to have it. For
instance, the feeling of anger is correlated with the song "The Burning" while
a feeling of calm is associated with "A New Decade." As has been the
case with their previous albums, Elis has a couple of songs sung
entirely in German, which could throw some people off if they are trying to
follow along with the concept being presented. This is only a minor
inconvenience because the listener will be too busy getting immersed in the
lush melodies and the powerful, yet soulful vocals of Duenser.
On a personal level, Griefshire was one of the most anticipated albums
due in large part, to the death of Sabine Duenser. Needless to say,
Griefshire does not disappoint, with a powerful performance confined to
fit within the concept. It will be very interesting to see how whoever
steps in as Elis' new vocalist will do, considering that the
expectations will be there. Overall, Griefshire should not be viewed just as a
concept album, but as a tribute to a good vocalist whose life was cut
short too soon.
