ElupiA - Departure

This three track E.P. marks the bands first release since the mini album 'Wilderness', which saw the light of day last summer.   I remember remarking then, how technically tight and adept this band were, a trait that has been happily brought forward with this new material. Japan, at the moment, seems to be something of aThis three track E.P. marks the bands first release since the mini album 'Wilderness', which saw the light of day last summer.   I remember remarking then, how technically tight and adept this band were, a trait that has been happily brought forward with this new material. Japan, at the moment, seems to be something of a hotbed for Metal bands, and not in the traditional sense either. Elüpia are a very forward thinking band, and seems totally at ease switching tempo and styles, all carried along with Nene's immense and very striking Soprano vocal. The E.P. kicks off with 'There We Go – The Hypnotising Forest (Second Movement)', a song that starts sedately enough with its piano/keyboard intro, before kicking in with a solid Symphonic Metal riff, which then alternates between quieter passages, and, I might add, a rather catchy chorus to cap things off. Second track, 'Sorceress! – The Hypnotising Forest (Third Movement)' is an altogether darker composition, generating images of whirling dervishes and spells amid the dark forest, with its swirling and soaring elements, and Nene's voice belting out notes that I never knew existed. Very much a storytelling track, it compounds the difficulty I have in [...]

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