Swiss symphonic metal band, Elyria has released their debut effort, “Reflection and Refraction” and straight away I have to say that this is a powerful album. The four piece band fronted by talented vocalist Patricia Cooney, have used a backing string ensemble to create a work rich in texture and emotion. The album feels ambitious from the outset and sets a high level of expectation.
The sense of drama is immediate. The instrumental “Open Portals” segues into “The Vigil”, a graceful, delicate and progressive start to the journey with simply mesmerising vocals. The production is warm and there’s an aura of grandeur that gives the impression of a band that is very focussed and controlled. The guitar work from Oliver Weislogel is dextrous and precise interspersing chugging riffs with some brief, neat soloing.
Throughout the coming tracks there are Eastern textures mixing with more classic metal sounds that give these tracks an interesting complexity. The exotic swirl of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” comes to mind momentarily on “Blind” with its’ hypnotic vocals over some real metallic crunch leading into “Colors of Silence” where Cooney’s vocals are soaring. Elyria’s use of strings is deft and feels very natural, adding a depth even at those moments when the band turn towards more aggressive sounds such as on “Salome”.
Patricia Cooney’s vocals are quite extraordinary, hitting the high notes with such crystalline clarity and majesty. Her voice weaves through each track complimenting the string section whilst Sascha Kaisler on drums and Stefan Mankiewicz on bass heavy it all up. Symphonic is one thing, progressive is another and there’s plenty here to lose yourself in. From silky smooth guitar explorations on “Beyond Earth” to the acoustic folk trappings of “Virtues”, the whole package feels more like a stage production with a saga unfolding. Lying in between are dramatic and very percussive metal gems like “Mindshift” and “Dreamwalker” with taut, sometimes Megadeth-like grind.
“Reflection and Refraction” is one of those albums that rewards end-to-end listening. With a running time just over an hour it feels well weighted. The band displays a sophistication and consistency that’s hard to resist and the whole package has such a fresh air about it. Equally theatrical and operatic they still manage to pack in that metal punch with style. Where they go from here will be interesting to see – they’ve set a pretty high benchmark with this one.
(8/10 Johnny Zed)
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