Eleine – We Shall Remain (Atomic Fire Records)
Monday, 10th July 2023
Making the jump from Black Lodge Records to Atomic Fire Records for their fourth full-length record, Eleine are poised to bring their particular version of gothic-tinged symphonic metal to a larger audience. Solidifying their sound through previous efforts, We Shall Remain isn’t going to be the type of album that sees the act make any sort of drastic changes – nor does it need to be. Instead it works brilliantly as an excellent introduction to whomever may have been missing out on such an underrated act within the scene.
Eleine’s strength continues to stem from the fact that they navigate their own sound within the gothic/symphonic metal landscape. There’s not a ton of gloominess or melancholy to drag the band down, nor is there any sort of emphasis on adding cliched beauty and the beast gothic vocal trade-offs. Eleine is a triumphant, heavy act that brings an energy that could rival peers within the melodic death metal scene, all while keeping to the elegance that they are expected to maintain with a more symphonic approach. The guitarwork is chunky. The type of thing that you can sink your teeth into without any reservations and just enjoy. Midtempo chugger “Stand By the Flame” is a nice example of this, with grooving riffs that embed themselves in your head, accompanied by (not overpowered by) orchestral energy that helps to augment their epic approach. You can feel those riffs, and that in and of itself is quite a cause for praise for an act that can have the symphonic stamp applied to it. Despite having an excellent vocalist in Madeleine Liljestam, they don’t rely on her (or Rikard Ekberg’s menacing growls) to carry the music. That being said, it’s equally hard to listen to a song like “We Are Legion” and resist the urge to sing along in the chorus. The melodic soloing shines, but the ‘raise your fist’ chorus is not to be outdone. Likewise, the balance involved for them to ‘get to the point’ with shorter tracks instead of being self-indulgent with the times is something that their veteran status definitely helps with. The frantic riffing of “Through the Mist” works like an instant hook to reel you in, but then the gothic-flavors and graceful chorus keep it interesting without having to run the track into extended time.
Everything just simply works flawlessly with Eleine’s approach on We Shall Remain. Their sense of musicianship and songwriting prowess makes the songs hit maximum impact and heaviness, all while keeping it just as catchy and melodic as it could be. Given a more global presence with their new label, it’s just the right amount of everything to help make Eleine have an even larger audience that should immediately be drawn towards them.
