Premiere: Hyperion – “Iliou Persis”
Ten years.
Ten long years have passed since Hyperion released their debut, Seraphical Euphony, and we were rightly impressed by it. As was the rest of the metal world- one only needs to look at contemporary reviews or the sheer number of user icons on their Bandcamp page- also for good reason. It ran the gamut of emotion, from exultant highs to somber and pensive lows, and its deft combination of ’90s-era Swedish black and melodic death metal was expertly channeled into something that sounded modern and fresh. The album was a triumph by any standard, let alone a first release, and it has left us hungering to hear from Hyperion again.
A decade is a long time to wait, and much has changed in that time, for better or worse. Hyperion are no more immune to the inexorable march of time than any of the rest of us, and I will admit there was a tinge of nervousness alongside my excitement when this graced my inbox. Band members can come and go, styles can change, and so on; whatever this was going to be, it would not be the same Hyperion that we heard in 2016. Fortunately, it turned out to be something better.
While it’s hard to argue that most things fall on the “worse” end of the equation, Hyperion spent these past tumultuous years honing their craft. Time and a steady touring schedule have brought experience, and that shines through on the track they bring us today. Where Seraphical Euphony saw the band wearing the influences on their sleeves, Elysia is an emergence of something new. “Iliou Persis” shows us that confident blend of melodic black and death metal that has always been present, now with greatly fleshed-out composition. It’s fast and fierce, and though it’s more complex than anything we’ve heard from them before, that doesn’t get in the way of the band’s melodic sensibilities. If anything, it improves it; the greater focus on interplay between instruments and more varied synth textures make their music more ear-catching and lively than ever. It tickles a particular spot of my brain that hasn’t been truly activated since I first heard Wintersun way back in the day, and I cannot be more excited for that.
Anyway, that’s enough of my yapping. Without further ado, I am pleased to present “Iliou Persis:”
Elysia is out on November 6th via Willowtip. We will update this with preorder links when they go live.
