Symphonic metal comes in many different shapes and sizes nowadays with bands picking and choosing what works best for them. When it comes to German metal unit ELVELLON the best approach seems to be the traditional one that echoes the beginnings of the genre, before the orchestrations have been either filtered away or relegated to the background. Their sophomore album, “Ascending in Synergy,” has a nostalgic feel to it in that regard while also keeping things fresh. The record is out on May 17th, 2024, via Napalm Records.
Musically, the album’s sound design makes it pretty accessible and easy to digest though, at a closer inspection, there’s a lot to unpack in the way the orchestrations, instrumentals, and vocals work together to create layers of melody. This means that, while there aren’t overly complicated or technical passages, the music is still heavy enough to appease metalheads. There’s also a beautiful dreamlike ambiance that comes from the orchestral arrangements and Nele Messerschmidt’s vocals that is actually one of the album’s highlights. This combination of symphonic orchestrations, hooky melodies, and an uncluttered soundscape has always been a trademark of the band and really works in their favour on “Ascending in Synergy,” making the album a great showcase of the rich expanse of symphonic metal (not unlike XANDRIA’s latest effort, “The Wonders Still Awaiting”).
Opener “Unbound” starts off feeling like an intro with gentle vocalization before growing into a proper song as the backing orchestrations come more into the forefront and the music takes off with keys, guitars, and vocals that coalesce into a dramatic chorus section. First single released, “A Vagabond’s Heart,” is a more theatrical piece with a catchy chorus and sweeping orchestrations while second single, “My Forever Endeavour,” has a jaunty folky melody and breezy ambiance going for it while still being firmly grounded by Nele Messerschmidt’s vocals. Things get really dark and dramatic with “Ocean of Treason,” a heavy and cinematic track where the orchestrations create an ominous soundscape while the vocals keep things interesting with a versatile delivery of the verses before soaring for the grand chorus, making this one of the album’s better tracks. “The Aftermath of Life” is somewhat tamer by comparison, but still heavy and dark enough boasting swelling stings and crunchy riffs that contrast with the delicate vocals.
Ballad “Last of Our Kind” offers a calmer soundscape with delicate percussions, soft piano melodies, and a cinematic atmosphere that allows the listener to catch their breath before “Into the Vortex” comes along and builds in intensity from foreboding keys and guitar riffs to another theatrical piece with more ominous orchestrations, evil-sounding vocals, and abrasive guitar riffs. Driven by uplifting piano melodies and crowned by the album’s best chorus section, “A Legacy Divine” is not just hit material but also a potentially great live piece that balances the darker edges of this record with a breezy and light ambiance where the vocals are given more space to shine. The band showcase their progressive leanings on the lengthy “The Aeon Tree” as beautiful vocal melodies, acoustic passages, delicate piano, and subtle orchestrations set the stage for a spoken-word passage midway through that echoes NIGHTWISH‘s “Song of Myself.” Album closer “Epiphany of Mine” offers some melodious guitar riffs, sparse keys, and another massive chorus section that makes me wonder why this wasn’t placed higher in the tracklist so as to let the album end with “The Aeon Tree.”
All things considered, this album is a great way to re-introduce ELVELLON and their brand of symphonic metal to the masses as “Ascending in Synergy” is a mature and well-crafted record that showcases the band’s penchant for combining a cinematic atmosphere with heavy instrumentals. To reiterate an earlier point, they are not afraid to use orchestral arrangements to add depth, texture, and nuance to the songs instead of just using them as embellishments. For them, these orchestrations are on the same levels as the guitars and the vocals, and this is what gives the album its edge and separates ELVELLON from the rest of the bands in this genre. So, if you like your symphonic metal heavily orchestrated, drenched in melody, and with a rich cinematic soundscape, then this is the record for you!
Written by Andrea Crow
Tracklist
- Unbound
- A Vagabond’s Heart
- My Forever Endeavour
- Ocean of Treason
- The Aftermath of Life
- Last of our Kind
- Into the Vortex
- A Legacy Divine
- The Aeon Tree
- Epiphany of Mine
Lineup
Nele Messerschmidt – Vocals
Gilbert Gelsdorf – Guitars
Pascal Pannen – Keyboards
Jan Runkel – Bass
Martin Klüners – Drums
Label
Napalm Records
