Griefshire is indeed a fitting title for the third album from the Liechtenstein heavy metal band Elis.
After two critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums with producer Alexander Krull, Elis entered the studio in 2006 to record this concept album, whose songs center around a pair of brothers and their spiritual fanaticism as they search for truth, joy, and eternal love (yeah, this is far from the purposely scandalous concerns of black and death metal).
There is something afoot here and it's far from the usual fare.
Sabine Duenser, the band's vocalist, was a fine lyricist as well, and took a deep personal interest in the songs that make up this set.
Shortly after completing her vocal tracks, she collapsed during rehearsal and passed away the following day from a brain hemorrhage.
The band went on to finish the recording since her tracks were complete.
The end result is a heavy, riff-laden construct that embodies classical themes, dramatic interludes that are near breathtaking, melodic songwriting, and the use of controlled aggression in a new way.
Certainly this band, should they find a new singer, has everything it needs to continue and should.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tales from Heaven or HellPete Streit | Elis | Play | 04:16 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 2 | Die Stadt | Elis | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 32 MB |
| 3 | Show Me the WayPete Streit | Elis | Play | 04:05 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 4 | BrothersPete Streit | Elis | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 5 | Seit Dem Anbeginn der ZeitPete Streit | Elis | Play | 05:40 | 13 MB | 39 MB |
| 6 | Remember the PromisePete Streit | Elis | Play | 03:23 | 7 MB | 25 MB |
| 7 | Phoenix from the AshesPete Streit | Elis | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 32 MB |
| 8 | How LongPete Streit | Elis | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 9 | Innocent HeartsPete Streit | Elis | Play | 05:11 | 11 MB | 39 MB |
| 10 | Forgotten Love | Elis | Play | 04:22 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 11 | The BurningPete Streit | Elis | Play | 04:43 | 10 MB | 36 MB |
| 12 | A New DecadePete Streit | Elis | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 13 | Heaven and HellRonnie James Dio | Elis | Play | 04:53 | 11 MB | 37 MB |
| 57 mins | 131 MB | |||||
| 57 mins | 419 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thorsten Bauer | Engineer |
| 2 | Ronnie James Dio | Composer |
| 3 | Sabine Duenser | Vocals |
| 4 | Elis | Primary Artist |
| 5 | Alexander Krull | Engineer, Mastering, Mixing, Producer, Programming, Sampling |
| 6 | Christian Lukhaup | Engineer |
| 7 | Pete Streit | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |