Customer Reviews
Melancholic Symphonic Progressive Music
The mistress of love and death, herein tells the tale of a love that is doomed, leading to a question, if "love in excess can become a force that ultimately has the power to destroy itself, whether too much love will kill. Elodia, LACRIMOSA'S sixth album is a Rock Opera, dedicated to a demigoddess inspired by Greek mythology, who has been involved in both of their previous albums, Inferno and Stille from the years 1995 & 1997. . . " The whole album, Elodia, is sung in German, except for one song, sung by Anne Nurmi. Tilo has a somewhat unusual voice and a very marked German accent, many people find Tilo's voice unsuitable, I find it an interesting fit for this kind of music. Lacrimosa uses guest musicians for their recording sessions and on the more recent albums have utilized the symphonic orchestras as well as choirs. On Elodia they used the The London Symphony Orchestra and the Rosenberg Ensemble and Westsachsische Symphonic Orchestra. Each succeeding album seems to get more complicated, lush and at times Bombastic Lacrimosa is not for everyone. It's somewhat of an acquired taste, not particularly accessible. As mentioned, Wolff's voice is unusual, they sing in German and the music is not always beautiful, as say Therion. It is, however, extremely catchy, loaded with hooks, haunting and generally captivating, plus the music is somewhat varied The songs of Elodia actually break up into three ACTs. Here is a breakdown of the ACTs. ACT I
The album opens with "Am Ende der Stille", an instrumental number, with a Mozart influence, next is "Alleine zu zweit", which is a lovely medium paced song, with a great chorus. Even if you don't know German, you can hum along. It is followed by the powerful "Halt mich", the strings and flutes describe a desperate attempt to breathe new life into their love. It starts out Classical but ends on a Rock/Classic fusion note. The only English song "The Turning Point" is next, Anne Nurmi sings this song that recounts days of intimacy that have been lost and leads inevitably to the fateful events of the second act. ACT II
"Ich verlasse heut' dein Herz", this my favorite song is an escalating, emotional piece that evolves into a really heavy song, with extraordinary piano and guitar solos. A must for guitar affectionados. This is followed by the somewhat mysterious "Dich zu töten fiel mir schwer" a strong classical number but with a heavy riffing in the middle part. This is sung by Tilo and Anne. ACT III
The opera reaches it's apex when the first strings announce the arrival of the sad requiem "Sanctus", which is approximately 14 minutes long. "Sanctus" has all the elements to make it a memorable song, choirs, strings, winds, heavy parts, soft parts, great soloing, a wonderful piece. "Am Ende stehen wir zwei", a slow, heavy, maudlin song wraps things up but describes a farewell full of hope. Conclusion Rather unusual but extremely satisfying Neo Classical Melancholy Symphonic music. Elodia contains Symphonic Orchestras, Choirs and all the elements of powerful music.
one of the best
They are my favorite band and this is my favorite album. I personally consider this the zenith of Lacrimosa's carrier so far.
The music of Lacrimosa in general is a unique mixture of classical orchestral/chamber instrumentation and somewhat unusual gothic metal. I say it's unusual because it's not about horror or misanthropy and it's not grotesque - at least not the way other gothic bands are. Lacrimosa's "gothic darkness" consists of the deep sadness of the human soul, that's expressed in the music.
Elodia is "eine Rockoper in drei Akten" - a rock opera in three acts. It's a strange love story. As written on their homepage, "tells the tale of a love that is doomed to fail, culminating in the question of whether love in excess can become a force that ultimately has the power to destroy itself, whether too much love will kill. . . " The lyrics are excellent, the music as well; dramatic, lyric and 'heavy' at the same time.
If you usually like not-so-heavy metal music, you'll love this CD, wether you understand the text or not.
My hope shall guide me - through the days without you...
A product of intelligence, it's an audio performance that MUST be heard in an opera house complete with burning candles, ornamented statuary and a massive crystal chandilier. If a record collection is one's own personal treasure, then Lacrimosa's 6th CD release "Elodia" is undoubtedly its sparkling diamond! Incorporating a pit of 187 diligent musicians and harmonized by full operatic choirs, this album is perhaps the greatest musical triumph the Swiss duet has to offer. It's absolutely impossible for me to dissect "Elodia" and examine its individual tracks, so instead I will mention the libretto holding the 3 Acts in place. Basically, "Elodia" is titled after a demigoddess from Greek mythology; she is the commander of love and death, and has been Lacrimosa's muse for nearly a decade. "Elodia" the CD marks her powerful influence over Tilo Wolff and Anne Nurmi, a pair of lovers whose increasing desire for each other's passion spirals out of control and drives them to ruin. This begins a melodramatic tragedy which continues on in Lacrimosa's following CD's, "Fassade" and "Echos. " However, unlike the 2 albums I mentioned, "Elodia" signifies hope; no matter how far a distance Tilo has to travel, his love for Anne will last even in separation. Wolff, as both a singer and an actor, displays a greater emotional diversity here than in "Fassade" or "Echos;" he proves he can be violent and forceful yet also frightened and vulnerable. Listeners may notice that the angelic Anne has a larger vocal presence on here as well. As far as the music itself, what's most interesting in this modern symphony is the interaction between the acrobatic violins and hammering metal guitars; as Wolff's unhealthy obsession with Anne becomes more domineering, both instruments appear to clash one another other in a sonic war. In my opinion, they represent the eternal battle between Good and Evil; Light vs. Dark; Angel against the Devil; and Morality vs. Temptation. What I can truly say in the end is that "Elodia" rightfully deserves a standing ovation, and Lacrimosa should be honored with a fresh bouquet of roses. BRAVO!.
. You can see a complete list of all Lacrimosa discography, or go back to the Lacrimosa tabs
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