Review: Eleine – We Shall Remain
Eleine shall remain.
Swedish symphonic and power metal group Eleine, have their upcoming 4th studio album We Shall Remain releasing July 14th, 2023. In an oversaturated market of bands trying to make their music sound grandiose and powerful, Eleine oozes confidence and a commanding presence on this project. Brought forth via Atomic Fire Records, We Shall Remain is a release that will seemingly not get the attention it deserves and while it ultimately is a straight forward album that doesn’t do much to standout from the pack, it’s a very solid drop that will please most of the ears it reaches.
Madeleine Liliestam’s vocals are dramatic and give the project an ethereal otherworldly quality. Rikard Ekberg’s guitar work is very impressive and is another standout. One minute his playing goes from beautiful interludes to destructive riffage. His harsh vocal contributions add in another necessary element to keeping the track list interesting. The rhythmic section composed of Filip Stälberg on bass, and Jesper Sunnhagen on drums work incredibly well together. Their chemistry is especially felt on the title track of the record.
“Never Forget”, is an energizing, chugging and pulse pounding opening. With solid production, blistering drums and incredible vocals, Eleine put their best foot forward. “Stand By The Flame” doubles down on the entrancing vocal work, and adds in a healthy amount of beautiful guitar work and continued expressive drum parts. The momentum of the first two tracks is carried into “We Are Legion”, but “Promise Of Apocalypses” is a little generic and serves as the albums first minor misstep. The vocals still are admittedly fantastic. The instrumentals are solid, but nothing special. The last minute of the track does recapture some of the energy of the first few cuts.
“Blood In Their Eyes”, is ascending, triumphant, and powerful. The neoclassical guitar, plus chugging rhythms and pounding drums is effective and places the album back on track. “Vemod” has a really dense, immersive ambient opening, with a really cool guitar opening. The record continues to diversify in track 7, “Through The Mist”. The harsh male and clean female singing mix so well. Tipped off with great keys, what’s not to love?
“Suffering”, is a brooding and unsettling number that transitions perfectly in “War Das Alles”. The plodding, heavy nature initially starts the track off in a promising direction, but the band never fully capitalize on the energy. While it gets a little monotonous after a bit, it’s still got some exciting portions. The section where the instruments drop out, is especially effective. The finale, “We Shall Remain” is absolutely killer. This cut brings back all the best elements of the album. Madeline is excellent. The bass work and drums go together so well. It’s a very much needed victorious ending.
Eleine delivers a dynamic, expressive and multilayered project packed with energy and great hooks. It might not be the most original record in the world but for fans of metal with neoclassical undertones it’s a solid listen with some standout moments. The band never quite ascends to the next gear and capitalizes on the momentum they generate at times. While it doesn’t have any really down moments it doesn’t have a ton of staying power either. It’s a solid slice of modern metal with great performances and songwriting. In a sense it does everything right, but doesn’t ever make it to that next level, however it’s still worth a listen.
Standout tracks: “Never Forget”, “Stand By the Flame”, & “Through the Mist”
We Shall Remain gets 3 Toilets ov Hell out of 5
Eleine’s We Shall Remain is out now via Atomic Fire Records.
