Shrouded in an aura suitable for a band hailing from the legendary Greece, Symphonic Blackened Death metallers, The Elysian Fields, dwell on the misanthropic and the heroic.
Tales of ancient struggles and bitter religious wars dominate their sound, which relies heavily on extreme tempo changes, ripping melodic guitars and orchestral touches.
The Elysian Fields certainly sound like no-one else, alternating between hate-filled blast passages and mood driven reflective moments.
The passionate philosophy behind the music provides such a driving creative force that TEF’s new effort entitled ‘Chaoskrator’ rages with a seldom experienced ferocious level of intensity.
The everlasting conflicts between God and the unlight and the final days before the imminent Armageddon serve as the overriding themes behind the band’s music, themes which provide many avenues for lyrical exploration as well as musical inspiration.
The determination of the band can be judged by the rise of the obscure Greek underground scene firstly with their full length debut ‘Adelain’ back in 1995 and then with ‘We… The Enlightened’ in 1998, ‘12 Ablaze’ in 2001 and ‘Suffering G.O.D Almighty’ in 2005.
Certain restraints placed on the band prevented live appearances, which meant that despite excellent reviews, the albums remained the sole property of the underground.
‘Chaoskrator’ is ultimately music of a perverse form, driven by rage, but twistedly enjoyable all the same.
TEF’s sound is aggressively upfront and therefore utilizes all the great metal denominators - fast rhythms, attack-mode guitars and screamed vocals.
However, when the band throw into the equation awe-inspiring orchestral sounds, they lift themselves above the ordinary.