www.deafeningsound.com

I think I speak for everyone when I say that there just aren't enough bands doing their own thing these days. It seems, at least to me, that the ridiculous number of kids who now play in deathcore bands, are the same group of people who were playing in metalcore bands, who were the same group of people who were playing in nu-metal bands, and so on and so forth. So, farbeit from me to sound at all elitist, but I get very, very tired of sifting through the huge pile of breakdowns-by-numbers bands that have been flooding the internet lately. I haven't even felt the urge to write a review in quite some time, mainly because I haven't heard a record that has made me want to write a review FOR it in several months.
Elysia has changed all that. While their previous full length, Masochist, boasted some ridiculously mean instrumentals, some very sick vocals, especially considering how young these guys were when this record was cut, some very politically and socially aware lyrics, and some pretty intense breakdowns, their follow-up recording, Lion of Judas, trumps Masochist on all of the above. The band has undergone some severe construction, and as of right now singer Zak Vargas and Garret Gilardi are the only members of the band left over from the Masochist recording. Along with this slew on lineup changes comes a seriously overhaul in the sound department. Gone are the frantic, metallic, breakdown heavy deathcore tunes of Masochist. They've been replaced by a wholly original but somewhat amalgamic splicing of 90s hardcore in the vein of bands like Disembodied, Converge and Snapcase, and an urgency that at times calls to mind bands like fellow Californians, Animosity. In addition to changing up the general sound of the music itself, the band treads further out into the experimental, choosing this time to throw in weird bits of ambient and dissonant noise from time to time as transitions and as a way to flesh out and better realize the ideas in several of the songs. This new Elysia is more fine tuned, more attentive to detail, and even meaner than before. Songs like "Box of Need(les)", "Lack of Culture", and "Plague of Insects" rely heavily on a sort of dissonant, mid-nineties hardcore style that separates them from the deathcore genre, and really puts them ahead of the unbelievably large crop of bands coming out of the West Coast right now. In contrast, there are moments such as "Fountain of Life", where the band recalls a more hardcore punk influence, while still maintaining that newfound (and much appreciated) Converge/Snapcase style dissonant feel that seems to run throughout the record.
Equally as impressive as the instrumentation are the vocals, which have progressed leaps and bounds since Masochist, where vocalist Zak Vargas relied more on a dual-tracked high/low vocal pairing to sound, well, pretty brutal. Here the vocals are more unified and in that sense much easier to swallow and understand. Vargas enunciates better than just about anyone else making music this heavy, which is important, considering the dude has a lot of interesting and enlightening things to say.
All in all, Lion of Judas finds this California quintet better prepared for the world, who honestly may not be prepared for Elysia just yet. This is seriously forward thinking stuff, and it's about goddamn time somebody started making music for music's sake again. Check this record out, kids. Five stars.

-Reese Fleeger
deafeningsound. com

www.brokenglassonline.com

With the deathcore genre they helped steer on its course all but played out with most of its flagship bands jumping ship to technical
death metal, Sacramento blasters Elysia return fire in a completely different direction on their Ferret Records debut 'Lion of Judas'.

Kicking things into gear with the opening barrage of 'Lack of Culture', Elysia showcases a much more mature and muscle-bound raw
hardcore sound than on 2006's 'Masochist'. While still retaining the fire and intensity for which Elysia are renowned for, the record is
much more stripped back and raw, with greater emphasis on memorable songwriting than the technical proficiency displayed on earlier releases.

With Kurt Ballou of Converge fame helming production duties, the album sounds ferocious, making great use of his signature distorted and punchy production values. Ballou trademarks are splattered all across the album, with eerily spacious feedback kicking off 'Flood of Kings', overdriven bass and drum sounds in 'Plague of Insects' and  multiple layered guitar tracks on album closing epic 'Lion of Judas'.

It seems vocalist Zak Vargas has grown up quite a bit, spewing forth more intelligent lyrics than on previous releases, tackling issues of religion, depression and sin in a morose and intelligent way, making the albums half hour running time feel much more lengthy and lethargic.

Whilst not perfect, the album ticks all the boxes for what it is, giving older and more experienced bands a efinite run for their money. Elysia will more than likely lose more of its primarily teenage fanbase than it gains with their drastic change of sound, leaving no doubt that 'Lion of Judas' is a risky move, but one that pays off.

For fans of: Converge, Molotov Solution, Bracewar.

Review by Mike Calle.

http://www.brokenglassonline.com/elysia-lion-of-judas-2/

http://.bhelpalongyourwaylogspot.com/

For fans of the once active Kill Ratio, the illusive Life Of Agony, the northeast hardcore pillars Biohazard, the mythological Godflesh, the ever creative Dillinger Escape Plan, Ferret Music presents the thick murky sounds of an untamed musical chaos called Elysia.

The subject matter is highly controversial and yet gut-induced. Honest lyrics are hard to beat, as you know the content is subjective as is with anything else. Relationships is the key to unlocking the disc. It is who you know and where they reside.

Amongst the highly favored tracks:

Lack of Culture, An indestructible alloy masterpiece comprised of the finest metal and ferocious hardcore. A shaving of metallic sparks from the drums here, and fierce guitar bends mirrored by the bass guitar there, and surrounded with straight up vocal damage.

Plague Of Insects, At 3 min 26 sec, high octane eruptions of massive drum/guitar/bass/wall of sound including the vocals on top, as if surfacing amidst the dogpile. For fans of straight on bass guitar riffs a la Dan Lilker, in yer face screams that seemed to be inspired by Harley Flanagan of the Cro-Mags, and guitar section resembling the impression-makers Converge.

Pride Of Lions, Ah a taste of old-real-Metallica music structure, reminiscent of their work in cover "Breadfan", the first half of this song sucks into that interlude and then just starts shoving all over the place. A kind of muddy mix on the song but flows well within the architecture of the disc.

Curse Of God (Pt.1), For some reason this brings to mind a story of worms. When one makes themselves out to be god, they are put in their rightful place. Just like when Herod accepted the praise of the people as being a god and because he did not give glory to GOD, he was struck down and eaten with worms. Now that's a curse. Similarly the instrument arrangements of this song paint a picture of force, power and agony.

Lion Of Judas, For fans of stiff driven bass guitar, and dissonant yet sensible guitar, this track is for you. Vocally, this is the culmination of the entire disc, a mounting and throwing off of emotion and despair. So here, take it. The only thing I would have hoped for was some positive message.

Thanks Ferret!

http://helpalongyourway.blogspot.com/2008/07/cd-review-elysia-lion-of-judas.html

http://www.chartattack.com

Converge's Kurt Ballou — who's not only their wicked guitarist, but also a well-respected recording engineer — knows good music. Every band he's played in or produced has turned into metal or hardcore gold. Sacramento's Elysia are no different. Lion Of Judas, the band's second full-length and first through Ferret, displays a group of kids who know how to play metal. Fusing everything from death metal to punk, Elysia have created a very impressive effort that should push them to the forefront of Ferret's "bands to push" list. While the nine-track album is kind of short, any more would be unnecessary. By the time the album is done, any more intensity, metal or awesomeness would probably have the same effect as dividing by zero. It's simple: from now on, you listen to everything Kurt Ballou produces, OK? Logan Broger

http://www.chartattack.com/DAMN/2008/06/1640.cfm