Something new is always a good thing. In May I decided to do a little research on the unknown bands (to me) at this years Sweden Rock Festival. I came across a symphonic metal band from Sweden called Eleine. They piqued my interest and I started to find out who they are. What I found is a style of music I have only really discovered in the last 3 years and become a fan of. Symphonic style metal. The beautiful voice of Eleine is backed with just enough growls by guitarist Rikard Ekberg. The keyboard work by Sebastian Berglund gives this a true symphonic sound that will have fans of this style around the world wanting more.
It was time to get in touch with the bands’ Facebook site and find out more details. And so we could set up an interview with the band at Sweden Rock Festival.
After talking with Eleine during the week before the show, the excitement was setting in to get to see them live.
My original plan was to see Megadeth. I have never seen them, but sorry Megadeth, I was here for Eleine. I got to the show early and secured my front row center spot. Getting to hear the warm up I knew we were in for a great show, as just that little bit gave me chills and goosebumps.
The lights went down and the band (which also consists of drummer David Eriksson and bass player Andreas Martensson) hit the stage. Eleine, the last one to take her spot on the stage, came out in a beautiful belly dance outfit. Once she hit that first note of “Land Beyond Sanity” she had the crowd melting to her sound and right where she wanted them.
Th
e band sounded great even though they have not played that many gigs before Sweden Rock Festival.
The setlist continued with 4 tracks from their S/T CD and only release thus far which came out April 2015. “Gathering Storm“, “Destiny“, “Devotion” and “Turn To Dust“. A great mix of musical styles, sticking to the main focus – a seductive symphonic story that captivates the audience and leaves us wanting more. Eleine‘s natural beauty and mesmerizing movements on stage are only surpassed by her crisp vocal talents.
For the fans familiar with the band, we got a treat to hear a new song “Story Untold“. A great song and I look forward to this being on a new album hopefully in the near future. Back to the songs from their album, we got the pleasure to hear “A Sin” and the powerful finish to the album “Death Incarnate“. Going off stage to get ready for the last song of the evening, Eleine came back on stage with her beautiful Isis wings. With the release of their new single and video a week earlier, I knew we were going to hear “Break Take Live“. Dancing with her wings brought out the complete feel of what this song is about. The lighting was perfect with the dry ice smoke.
The smoke from the dry ice didn’t make it easy to get many great shots but the show was memorable and I believe this will really boost the fan base of this great band. With recording the show for their online fans to hear live, maybe there is a chance a Blu-ray release. A fan can only dream!!
Earlier in the day my Decibel Geek brother Rich “The Meister” Dillon and I got to meet the guys from the entire band for an interview. It was a great conversation with lots of laughs and some great answers to our questions. Unfortunately, due to a technology malfunction, the first half of our chat has extremely poor audio. All attempts to make it presentable have failed. On behalf of both of us and Decibel Geek, we extend our sincerest apologies to Eleine and the band. Perhaps we can set something up over Skype in the very near future.
If you are a fan of Nightwish, Epica, Sirenia, Leaves’ Eyes, Xandria you will want to check Eleine out. The video for “Break Take Live” appears below for your viewing pleasure as well as my photo gallery.
Shawn “Animalize” Irwin
Set List
Land Beyond Sanity
Gathering Storm
Destiny
Devotion
Turn to Dust
Story Untold
A Sin
Death Incarnate
Break Take Live
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Watch the video for “Break Take Live”
