The Album Club 2017

OccultHawk · 07-05-2017, 07:45 AM

A+

innerspaceboy · 07-05-2017, 09:02 AM

Eternal Elysium - Spiritualized D

This album served as my introduction to stoner metal, though I’ve attended a few shows of my friend’s stoner drone band which is along a similar line with some additional electronic treatments. The opening track was eye-opening in that I’d expected a really muddy, lo-fi production quality but this record was surprisingly well-produced.

I approached the record with a degree of negative anticipation, confessedly judging a book by its cover. The album art employs both Edward Benguiat’s Scorpio typeface, (later knocked off as the freeware “Hippy.ttf”), and Peace Solid by Leslie Cabarga - the face iconically associated with every major Fillmore poster of the 1960s. The band clearly wished to stylistically align themselves with a particular era, and it is one replete with less-than-stellar retro throwback recordings. I’ve enjoyed Rochester’s Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, who impressively topped the Billboard charts as mainstays of the reggae scene, but that’s about as close as I get to rehashing the 60s. That said, I was pleasantly surprised to have my caution dispelled by Spiritualized D as the album played on.

As an outsider to heavy psyche and doom metal, I can’t speak intelligently about the album quantitatively with regard to its genre, but I can say that I enjoyed it as an introduction to the scene. Some of the vocal treatments were intriguing, the guitarwork was energetic, and the rhythms were surprisingly uptempo as I’d expected sludgy, dirge-like structures. (Not that that would have been a bad thing.) I also enjoyed the curious atmospheric treatments sprinkled throughout the album, like the opening of “Innocent Exile” - a track with quite a solid groove to it.

Overall, enjoyable, surprising, and a bit of welcome education for this listener.

**Goofle** · 07-05-2017, 02:03 PM

So I decided it's about time I actually contributed to this thread. Been super busy with work lately, and haven't felt like making much effort when I have been off, but that's not an excuse for being this lazy. So here goes.

Eternal Elysium - Spiritualized D

As a normie Stoner Rock/Metal fan I have listened to quite a lot of albums within the genre, but have not strayed too far out of the canon. But I am a huge fan of the aesthetic and am completely happy with what I am getting so far from this album. I love the psyche rock elements, especially on "Floating Downer".

The shorter tracks are a little disappointing, but kind of work within the context of the album. I thought "Easygoin'" and "Innocent Exile" were rather boring. However, the last two tracks picked things up and I was left satisfied.

Good album: 7/10

Trollheart · 07-05-2017, 06:17 PM

When I checked on wiki to see what sort of music I was in for here, I was told Eternal Elysium are a “Japanese Doom Metal band”, so expected something, well, slower. Heavier. Darker. As it turns out, they seem more to be on the Stoner side of things: much more uptempo (for the most part), clear vocals and, well, just a lot more fun than I had expected. The inclusion of a Maiden cover was the icing on the cake.

1. What were your VERY FIRST impressions on listening to the album, say from the first five minutes in?
Given that I had expected Doom Metal, this was a lot more relaxed and laidback (inititally) than I had expected, then it accquired a kind of 70s heavy rock feel to it, so interested certainly.

2. What did you think of the opening track?
Took me back to the heyday of seventies hard rock. Great stuff.

3. What did you think of the next track?
Heavier, faster, but still great.

4. Did you like the vocalist? Hate him/her? Any impressions?*(see note 1)
He's not the best, imo, but not the worst. It's more about the music. Speaking of which...

5. Did the music (only) generally appeal to you, or not?*(see note 2)
Very much so

6. Did the album get better or worse as you listened to it (first time)?
Better

7. What did you think of the lyrical content?
They seemed mostly goodtime rock'n'roll stuff, nothing too deep or heavy, though I didn't look into them much really

8. Did you like the instrumental parts?*(see note 3)
Oh yeah. Fantastic.

9. What did you think of the production?
The usual

10. Did you know of this artiste prior to listening to the album, and if so, did that foreknowledge colour your perception of this album?
No I did not know who they were at all. Didn't even know they were any kind of metal.

11. Is this, generally, the kind of music you listen to or not?
I don't listen to too much Stoner, but the more i hear the more I like.

12. Assuming you listened to the album more than once, on repeated listens, did you find you liked the album more, or less?
Very much more

13. What would you class as your favourite track(s), if you have any?
“Stone wedge”, “Splendid, selfish woman”, “Innocent exile” (they do a great version of the Maiden song here) , “What a difference a day makes”, "Faithful '99"

14. And the one(s) you liked least?
The closer, as it's basically ten-minutes-plus of sound effects and noises, and I don't need ten-minutes plus of sound effects and noises.

15. If the album in question is a debut, did that fact allow it, in your mind, any leeway, and if so, was that decision justified or vindicated?*(see note 4)
n/a

16. Are you now looking forward to hearing more from this artiste, if you have not heard any of their other material?
Very much so, yes

17. Were you surprised by your reaction - positive or negative - to the album?
Yes

18. Did the album end well?
No. See question 14. It was a real let-down and a damp squib ending, don't know why they chose to do this.

19. Do you see any way the album could have been improved?
A better closer would have been good

20. Do you think the album hung together well, ie was a fully cohesive unit, or was it a bit hit-and-miss?
I found it hung together very well.

Happy to give this 9/10

OccultHawk · 07-05-2017, 07:45 PM

Eternal Elysium - Spiritualized D

Never heard this before. I like stoner and being Japanese buys street cred

Maybe I'm just not in the mood. One listen and I'm just meh. I think it would be more fun if the vocals were in Japanese and more echoey. The hooks seem good but then I couldn't hang my hat on them. It doesn't seem to flow. The last song a 15 minute experimental thing. Are they really up it. Officially unfavorable but I'm not giving a star ranking.

Rjinn · 07-06-2017, 09:31 AM

Spiritualized D - Eternal Elysium

This album strikes me as more psychedelic grunge, which is an interesting dynamic though not particularly exciting... but that relates more to a sensational concept in this case. I haven't really given Eternal Elysium a listen before this album. Perhaps I should as it's creative in a sense. I don't like to define music too much as it tends to filter the soul of it out for me. Kinda the reason why I joined this club as it's more of a learning curb... anyway. 7/10

Blank. · 07-07-2017, 02:15 PM

Surprised to see everyone enjoying this so much. I thought people would have disliked this. This album is strong Kyuss & Monster Magnet worship.

Ol’ Qwerty Bastard · 07-07-2017, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1blankmind

Surprised to see everyone enjoying this so much. I thought people would have disliked this. This album is strong Kyuss & Monster Magnet worship.

that's what i liked about it.

it isn't necessarily original or unique, but that isnt what i come to this genre for. hard hitting rif***e is enough to please me and this album entertained me thoroughly. probably a 7/10 for me.

Anteater · 07-07-2017, 02:47 PM

Eternal Elysium - Spiritualized D

Sitting somewhere in time (sound-wise) between Monster Magnet, Clutch, etc. and the territory of Mastodon or maybe Baroness circa 2017, there's a lot to like about the psychedelic rumblings of Eternal Elysium. They've got plenty of good ideas: almost midway through 'Splendid, Selfish Woman', for instance, they take a trippy little detour with some of the talk-box wah-wahing that put Alice In Chains on the map back in 1990.

I saw some chatter online comparing them to early Sabbath or Flower Travellin' Band, but in my opinion they have more in common with the modern acts I listed. To that end, I don't think there's some "it" factor that really elevates them above their peers. It takes some serious deviation to beat the masters at their own game...but this was still a very enjoyable experience and a great recommendation for sludge / stoner enthusiasts.

7.5 out of 10

Aloysius · 07-08-2017, 07:54 AM

Eternal Elysium - Spiritualized D

A solid album, and while it's not rocket science, who cares when there are riffs that phat. The psychedelic colourings push many of the tracks into outer space, and you can really sense the love and commitment for the genre from the band. Faithfull '99 introduces some welcome chromaticism to the riffs after the incessant barrage of minor pentatonic vibrato-laden riffs. The last track felt a bit pointless to me but overall I'll keep this in my library for sure.

8/10

07-05-2017, 07:45 AM	#1121 (permalink)
OccultHawk one-balled nipple jockey Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Dirty Souf Biatch Posts: 22,006	A+ __________________ 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Member of the Year & Journal of the Year Champion Behold the Writing of THE LEGEND: https://www.musicbanter.com/members-...p-lighter.html

07-05-2017, 06:17 PM	#1124 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	When I checked on wiki to see what sort of music I was in for here, I was told Eternal Elysium are a “Japanese Doom Metal band”, so expected something, well, slower. Heavier. Darker. As it turns out, they seem more to be on the Stoner side of things: much more uptempo (for the most part), clear vocals and, well, just a lot more fun than I had expected. The inclusion of a Maiden cover was the icing on the cake. 1. What were your VERY FIRST impressions on listening to the album, say from the first five minutes in? Given that I had expected Doom Metal, this was a lot more relaxed and laidback (inititally) than I had expected, then it accquired a kind of 70s heavy rock feel to it, so interested certainly. 2. What did you think of the opening track? Took me back to the heyday of seventies hard rock. Great stuff. 3. What did you think of the next track? Heavier, faster, but still great. *4. Did you like the vocalist? Hate him/her? Any impressions?(see note 1) He's not the best, imo, but not the worst. It's more about the music. Speaking of which... 5. Did the music (only) generally appeal to you, or not?(see note 2)* Very much so 6. Did the album get better or worse as you listened to it (first time)? Better 7. What did you think of the lyrical content? They seemed mostly goodtime rock'n'roll stuff, nothing too deep or heavy, though I didn't look into them much really *8. Did you like the instrumental parts?(see note 3) Oh yeah. Fantastic. 9. What did you think of the production? The usual 10. Did you know of this artiste prior to listening to the album, and if so, did that foreknowledge colour your perception of this album? No I did not know who they were at all. Didn't even know they were any kind of metal. 11. Is this, generally, the kind of music you listen to or not? I don't listen to too much Stoner, but the more i hear the more I like. 12. Assuming you listened to the album more than once, on repeated listens, did you find you liked the album more, or less? Very much more 13. What would you class as your favourite track(s), if you have any? “Stone wedge”, “Splendid, selfish woman”, “Innocent exile” (they do a great version of the Maiden song here) , “What a difference a day makes”, "Faithful '99" 14. And the one(s) you liked least? The closer, as it's basically ten-minutes-plus of sound effects and noises, and I don't need ten-minutes plus of sound effects and noises. 15. If the album in question is a debut, did that fact allow it, in your mind, any leeway, and if so, was that decision justified or vindicated?(see note 4)* n/a 16. Are you now looking forward to hearing more from this artiste, if you have not heard any of their other material? Very much so, yes 17. Were you surprised by your reaction - positive or negative - to the album? Yes 18. Did the album end well? No. See question 14. It was a real let-down and a damp squib ending, don't know why they chose to do this. 19. Do you see any way the album could have been improved? A better closer would have been good 20. Do you think the album hung together well, ie was a fully cohesive unit, or was it a bit hit-and-miss? I found it hung together very well. Happy to give this 9/10 __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

07-05-2017, 07:45 PM	#1125 (permalink)
OccultHawk one-balled nipple jockey Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Dirty Souf Biatch Posts: 22,006	Eternal Elysium - Spiritualized D Never heard this before. I like stoner and being Japanese buys street cred Maybe I'm just not in the mood. One listen and I'm just meh. I think it would be more fun if the vocals were in Japanese and more echoey. The hooks seem good but then I couldn't hang my hat on them. It doesn't seem to flow. The last song a 15 minute experimental thing. Are they really up it. Officially unfavorable but I'm not giving a star ranking. __________________ 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Member of the Year & Journal of the Year Champion Behold the Writing of THE LEGEND: https://www.musicbanter.com/members-...p-lighter.html

07-06-2017, 09:31 AM	#1126 (permalink)
Rjinn The Aerosol in your Soul Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: New South Wales, Australia Posts: 1,546	Spiritualized D - Eternal Elysium This album strikes me as more psychedelic grunge, which is an interesting dynamic though not particularly exciting... but that relates more to a sensational concept in this case. I haven't really given Eternal Elysium a listen before this album. Perhaps I should as it's creative in a sense. I don't like to define music too much as it tends to filter the soul of it out for me. Kinda the reason why I joined this club as it's more of a learning curb... anyway. 7/10 __________________ last.fm

07-07-2017, 02:15 PM	#1127 (permalink)
Blank. Jacob Sartorius Join Date: May 2016 Location: Dank memes Posts: 4,033	Surprised to see everyone enjoying this so much. I thought people would have disliked this. This album is strong Kyuss & Monster Magnet worship.

07-08-2017, 07:54 AM	#1130 (permalink)
Aloysius Music Addict Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Adelaide, Australia Posts: 353	*Eternal Elysium - Spiritualized* D** A solid album, and while it's not rocket science, who cares when there are riffs that phat. The psychedelic colourings push many of the tracks into outer space, and you can really sense the love and commitment for the genre from the band. Faithfull '99 introduces some welcome chromaticism to the riffs after the incessant barrage of minor pentatonic vibrato-laden riffs. The last track felt a bit pointless to me but overall I'll keep this in my library for sure. 8/10