Independent Release
Review by Warren Mayocchi
From the opening notes of “Eden’s Fall” it is obvious Elferya are a symphonic metal band. The first track is a short instrumental introduction. After it ends the powerful voice of Melody Dylem joins with the music. It is their song called “With All My Love”, it is an epic song and it has an urgent feel. The music video which accompanies the song gives a good preview of the band’s style, along with the video for “Cruel Night” you can see what the band are all about. The latter video is the one I prefer with a noir detective intro and sections featuring the band in action, though “With All My Love” is the more distinctive song. The rest of the album follows in a similar style, some songs tend towards the big stadium sound displayed in the videos, while others display more in the way of folk-like elements. The diversity can probably be attributed to the size of the band. With Greg Turini (drums), Valery Veings (guitar), Thibaut Jehanno (bass), Lionel Blanc (keyboard) and Mathilde Sonney (violin) there is a lot of possible talent to contribute. It all allows for creative additions and changes in direction as various songs progress. There are even some muted growled vocals on “Elferya”. You will have to listen to the songs closely to pick out the growled passages though, generally the music and vocals are powerful and clean in execution. “Eden’s Fall” is a solid symphonic metal album with enough in the vocal performance and instrumental variation to help it stand out from the crowd. Personally I liked the album, but I suspect those less taken with the symphonic metal genre may not enjoy it as I have. There are times where the band goes too close to cliché, but their ability to fly so close to the sun without being burnt indicates their level of talent. Their confidence, good songs, and ability to deliver strong performances does invite the listener to strap themselves in alongside the band and simply enjoy the spectacle.
Rating – 87/100
Tracklist
- Eden’s Fall
- With All My Love
- Elferya
- Ghost of Mary
- Cruel Night
- The Dreamcatcher
- Toys of a Modern Man
- Across the Earth
- Alone With You
- Metal Hearts
- Close Your Eyes
Line Up
- Melody Dylem – Vocals
- Valery Veings – Guitars
- Lionel Blanc – Keyboards & Violin
- Thibaut Jehanno – Bass
- Mathilde Sonney – Violin
- Samuel Python – Drums