Reviewed - 07/15/04
Beyond Thematics
[Adipocere Records]
One does not hear of French metal all that often, so when I found this album in my package of review materials, I was intrigued. Ellipsis play some very good dark symphonic prog metal with elements of death, power and thrash thrown into the mix. I was also a bit surprised to hear sprinklings of techno here and there, as well as a couple of very minor indie rock tendencies. Needless to say, this gave the songs a unique feel to them.
The vocals remind me of a cross between Nevermore's Warrel Dane and Therion's Piotr Wawrzeniuk, with Dane being the more prominent influence. I was a bit surprised by that, since both men have such distinct vocals, but it sounds quite good and fits the music well.
The music itself also has a bit of Nevermore influence, which shows especially strongly on the opening moments of Dark Sensual Nymph. There's also more Therion influence as well, although it's much more subdued and not obvious on the first listen.
Ellipsis also have a great sense of balance when it comes to where to make the music heavy and when to have the more subdued interludes, especially on Spiritual Flower Bath, with the classical guitar noodlings pricking up amongst the flute, bass and drums. I especially liked the emotional tone of the guitar solo at the end of From Beyond Thematics.
The lyrics are pretty dark, almost akin to some of the poetry I write. At times, they're wonderful in their dark tone, while at others, the meaning is fairly obscured.
Overall, an excellent album. Highly recommended for anyone who's into prog or darker variations on power metal.
[Adipocere Records]
One does not hear of French metal all that often, so when I found this album in my package of review materials, I was intrigued. Ellipsis play some very good dark symphonic prog metal with elements of death, power and thrash thrown into the mix. I was also a bit surprised to hear sprinklings of techno here and there, as well as a couple of very minor indie rock tendencies. Needless to say, this gave the songs a unique feel to them.
The vocals remind me of a cross between Nevermore's Warrel Dane and Therion's Piotr Wawrzeniuk, with Dane being the more prominent influence. I was a bit surprised by that, since both men have such distinct vocals, but it sounds quite good and fits the music well.
The music itself also has a bit of Nevermore influence, which shows especially strongly on the opening moments of Dark Sensual Nymph. There's also more Therion influence as well, although it's much more subdued and not obvious on the first listen.
Ellipsis also have a great sense of balance when it comes to where to make the music heavy and when to have the more subdued interludes, especially on Spiritual Flower Bath, with the classical guitar noodlings pricking up amongst the flute, bass and drums. I especially liked the emotional tone of the guitar solo at the end of From Beyond Thematics.
The lyrics are pretty dark, almost akin to some of the poetry I write. At times, they're wonderful in their dark tone, while at others, the meaning is fairly obscured.
Overall, an excellent album. Highly recommended for anyone who's into prog or darker variations on power metal.
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
Tracklist:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Rating: 8.5/10 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Release Date: 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: 53:48 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Review By: P. Wickstrand | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Reviews: (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Bands Website: Go Here | ||||||||||||||||||||
 |