Eleine - "We Shall Remain"
This one has the power of darkness
Swedish band Eleine bills themselves as “Dark Symphonic Metal”.
‘What is that?’ you ask?
Well, start with a Symphonic metal base, which is like really heavy rock with a strong melodic emphasis and instrumentation expanded to include symphonic and orchestral instruments, rather than just your usual rock/metal suspects (guitar, bass, drums, and maybe a keyboard); and operatic backing vocals to add that much more dramatic flair. To this, you add elements of Black and Death metal, which blend well with Symphonic, since Beauty and the Beast stylings are pretty typical fare there. Then, season with elements of Thrash, like chugging guitar lines, and Power, like deepened guitar lines and use of power chords.
And what you end up with is a band whose sound and aesthetic take the gothic vibes up to eleven, despite not being Gothic Metal.
When I was in high school, the Gothic clique were the ones who discovered acts like Nightwish, which led to Nightwish merch, plus a few others, being sold at Hot Topic. But Eleine, with their Viking influence on top of the rest, make Nightwish look tame. AngryMetalGuy uses the term “corset-core” to describe Eleine and others who fit this aesthetic. Check out the band:
And they’re good at it, too. There are moments where the melody feels like it gets lost, or where the rest of the song overpowers it, but they also have some phenomenal melodic hooks.
Though there aren’t a lot of those on this particular album, which is a disappointment.
This is really good metal. If you’re looking for a metal album to just jam to, this would be a great fit. There aren’t any really deep elements. The only throughline on the album are the motifs of war, battle, and survival. And it clocks in at just over half of an hour, falling just a little short of the 40-45 minute minimum I like to look for in LPs.
Rating: Green