Eternal Elysium

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by Craig Regala

This is one heavy band. Fully-rounded groove to kick-ass action with plenty of big, whopping blues rock underpinnings, rhythmic propulsion and guitar sustain formulated to uphold all sorts of quality standards. Call it stoner rock or whatever, but look – this stuff rocks out and pulls back in such an organic way, it’s hard to say it owes much to anything besides the general “heavy” dynamic, from ’60s acid psych to those ’70s heroes to heavy ’80s punk to NWOBHM, whether “Faires Wear Boots” or “Not,” etc. There are people (you?) who like a certain aggressive interplay that manifests itself in different circumstances and styles but gets over in similar ways with similar tools. That’s why Scott Hill from Fu Manchu or the guy from Solace can ramble on about hardcore, or Scissorfight’s singer can claim they’re part of the punk lineage. Start with an essential ideal and follow your muse. It’s all we can ask of a band, if the answer’s like this, it’s our duty to step up and buy the next round.

Eternal Elysium pull on some big goddamn boots to wade through the swirling lava they pour into everything they create. What pray tell is lava but liquid rock? Sometimes they chug metal classique riffage while riding syncopated four-on-the-floor like a Big Thing that just chawed down on AC/DC, Kyuss, and BÖC recs. Sometimes they sound like what I’d imagine a current “biker band” would be (tune two, “Feel the Beat”). Sometimes they reanimate blues rock’s most basic structure and pump it fulla arena roar like Rollins Band ten years ago. Or like when Monster Magnet was carrying on about that “Satanic drug thing we all wouldn’t understand” on top of B.B. King’s “Rock Me Baby” via that Robin Trower + Black Flag math Wyndorf aced that they just don’t teach a whole lot anymore. This is my kinda power trio.
(PO Box 40322 Albuquerque, NM 87196)