Elysion: Signs Point to Work Underway on First Album Since ‘Bring Out Your Dead’

For a band known for its emotional outpourings, the Greek gothic metal group Elysion spent nine years in near-total public silence. After two well-regarded albums established them as a rising force, they vanished from release schedules, creating a mystery for a dedicated fan base left to wonder if they would ever return. That silence was broken in March 2023 with ‘Bring Out Your Dead,’ an album forged during the pandemic. But the return was not followed by the customary world tour or a barrage of media appearances.

However, recent activity, like new singles appearing quietly on the artist platform Bandcamp, has raised questions about the future of a band whose career has been defined by the stark contrast between its intense, emotional music and its profound public quietude. To understand the significance of their return, one must first descend into the world they built with their last album.

A Requiem for a Poisoned World

‘Bring Out Your Dead’: A Statement of Purpose

Elysion broke its nine-year silence on March 17, 2023, with ‘Bring Out Your Dead,’ an album the band described as a statement of purpose. The title, which evokes historical plagues, was framed as a metaphor for a time of extremes that required purging what is “rotten inside us” to allow for healing. The album was a response to the pandemic, which, in the band’s view, revealed that humanity was “miserably failing.”

The album’s sound reflected its thematic weight. Critics noted a significant evolution, as the polished accessibility of the band’s early work gave way to a sound that was heavier, more dynamic, and texturally complex. The music moved toward a heavier, more dynamic style, incorporating industrial and symphonic influences alongside the group’s established gothic sensibility. The album suggested a band transformed by its long absence from the public eye.

While not a formal concept album, ‘Bring Out Your Dead’ follows a clear emotional trajectory from what the band calls a “dark place” toward spiritual freedom, a narrative arc that reflects the experience of the pandemic. According to promotional statements, the album charts a course from darkness to light, with the light representing a purer version of humanity, one “that has not been poisoned by the corruption of mankind.”

Central to the album’s sound is the vocal performance of Christianna Hatzimihali. Her performance was noted for its authority and power, with a vocal style described as a “modern metal range” rather than a traditional symphonic-goth soprano. Her voice serves as the primary conduit for the album’s message of suffering and transcendence. The album represents not a continuation of the band’s previous work, but a reinvention.

A Pair of Singles Showcases a Band’s Duality

The album was introduced with two singles, ‘Crossing Over’ and ‘Raid the Universe,’ which showcased the band’s artistic range through contrasting themes and visual styles.

The first, ‘Crossing Over,’ was released with the band’s first official music video in its more than 15-year history, a move the group emphasized as a statement of identity. The song, described by the band as a tribute to the “crossover one has to make… to find hope in life,” deals with internal psychological struggle. The video, directed by Jonas Sommer, uses stark lighting and a polished performance to visualize this conflict.

In contrast, the second single, ‘Raid the Universe,’ explores a theme of gothic science-fiction romance, with lyrics inspired by the film ‘Dracula.’ The track, which the band calls one of its more “alternative” songs, was accompanied by an animated lyric video from the Greek studio HK Visual Creations, depicting a spaceship traveling through space. The deliberate contrast between the two releases highlighted the band’s dual focus on both internal psychological narratives and romantic fantasy.

A Career in Two Acts

Elysion’s evolution can be understood in two distinct phases, separated by a nine-year intermission that proved to be a pivotal moment of transformation. The first phase established the band’s sound, while the second saw them transcend it.

The band’s debut album, ‘Silent Scr3am,’ was released on Dec. 18, 2009. It presented a polished and accessible version of gothic and alternative metal that drew favorable comparisons to international acts like Evanescence and Lacuna Coil. The production was notable for its use of the mastering engineer Ted Jensen, who had worked with many of the artists to whom Elysion was being compared. In a unique artistic arrangement, the vocals were performed by Hatzimihali, who had joined in 2008, while the lyrics were penned by her predecessor, Maxi Nil.

Five years later, the 2014 album, ‘Someplace Better,’ was a confident refinement of their sound. The band took a more hands-on production role alongside the producer Mark Adrian, with mixing by Dan Certa and mastering by Dave Collins. Critics saw the album as a significant step forward, with Hatzimihali’s vocal performance being singled out for its emotional power.

After solidifying its sound with ‘Someplace Better,’ the band entered a prolonged hiatus. That interlude is now seen by many as a period of artistic incubation, without which the evolution to ‘Bring Out Your Dead’ would not have been possible.

An Identity Forged in the Hellenic Scene

While Elysion’s music has an international appeal, its identity is deeply rooted in the Greek metal scene. That scene, particularly the black metal movement of the early 1990s, developed a sonic signature distinct from its Scandinavian counterpart. Where the Norwegian sound was often described as “icy,” the Hellenic sound was seen as “warm” and “atmospheric,” more connected to the Mediterranean than a frozen landscape.

Pioneers like Rotting Christ established this sound by infusing raw aggression with traditional heavy metal riffs, folk melodies, and a pronounced sense of atmosphere. These foundational bands later evolved, with Rotting Christ embracing a more gothic direction on its 1996 album ‘Triarchy of the Lost Lovers,’ while bands like Septicflesh forged a path in symphonic death metal.

Elysion operates in a different subgenre but effectively translates this tradition, adapting the Hellenic focus on atmosphere and potent melody from its black metal roots into a modern, gothic and symphonic framework. Their sound, particularly on ‘Bring Out Your Dead,’ is layered and dynamic, favoring the mid-paced rhythms characteristic of the Greek scene over pure aggression. This cultural DNA provides an essential context for their music, distinguishing their brand of melancholy from that of their Northern European peers, with the vocalist, Hatzimihali, regarded as one of the leading voices in her country.

The Music’s Emotional Connection

The enduring appeal of Elysion’s music lies in its profound emotional weight. For many listeners, the band’s work transcends mere entertainment, offering a powerful and deeply personal experience. The albums consistently trace a journey from personal struggle toward spiritual liberation, a theme that resonates with their audience.

This connection is evident in listener testimonials. One writer, reviewing ‘Bring Out Your Dead,’ noted that the music’s tone immediately brought to mind their own past battles with abuse. It is this quality—the ability to make a listener feel their own story is being told—that defines the band’s impact.

The music is crafted to serve these themes, with a constant interplay of heavy guitar riffs and soaring melodies that mirrors the emotional volatility of the lyrics. The versatile vocal performance of Hatzimihali is central to this dynamic. In this, Elysion taps into the gothic tradition, which has long provided a framework for exploring darker emotions. The band modernizes this tradition by turning the focus from external horrors to internal, personal wars. By giving voice to these struggles, Elysion creates a powerful bond with its audience, offering a shared space for confronting and processing difficult feelings.

Conclusion

Instead of constant touring, Elysion’s current approach focuses on deliberate creative projects. The band released a third music video from its latest album, for the song ‘Blink Of An Eye,’ long after the record’s initial launch. The video, also directed by Jonas Sommer, was another polished, professional production, suggesting a continued artistic momentum independent of a traditional promotional cycle.

This pattern points to a conscious strategy: a mature band trading the rigors of conventional touring for the high impact of major domestic festival appearances. It is a model not of inactivity, but of deliberate selectivity in a demanding modern music economy. The artistic vitality of ‘Bring Out Your Dead,’ combined with confirmed live dates, indicates that Elysion’s future, while not conventional, is by no means silent.