Register Forgot login?

© 2002-2024
Encyclopaedia Metallum

Privacy Policy

Elis > God's Silence, Devil's Temptation > Reviews
Elis - God's Silence, Devil's Temptation

Great potential but terrible production - 70%

kluseba, May 15th, 2020
Written based on this version: 2003, CD, Napalm Records

God's Silence, Devil's Temptation is a decent but not outstanding debut for gothic metal quintet Elis from Liechtenstein that would later on release genre classics such as Dark Clouds in a Perfect Sky, Griefshire and Catharsis. Despite being the band's weakest output, it shows lots of promise and talent and is definitely worth a spin for genre fans.

The band has numerous charismatic strengths. Its elegant, gloomy and longing sound serves as guiding line throughout the album. The poetic lyrics in English and German blend in perfectly and add important creative, emotive and intellectual components. The programming gives some songs an almost danceable electronic vibe but also provides some nearly cinematic soundscapes as these elements offer much diversity and entertainment. Sabine Dünser's vocals are outstanding as she has the kind of voice one would recognize among thousands. She sounds emotional without being melodramatic, she sounds grounded without sounding flat and she sounds variable without sounding unfocused. She's the type of singer any female-fronted gothic rock or metal band would like to have.

This album also has a few downsides however. The guitar play is at times generic, simple and uninspired. Don't expect any gripping riffs or stunning solos here. The guitar play simply supports the atmosphere of the different tunes without attempting to stand out. The rhythm section is serviceable instead of spectacular. The bass guitar is hardly audible and the drum play sounds slightly mechanical as if inspired by industrial rock and metal. The production is also below average and a little bit too loud and unbalanced as only the vocals and keyboards sound really great here. Especially the guitar play rushes by in a blur.

In the end, fans of female-fronted gothic metal bands from the early millennium should certainly check out Elis' God's Silence, Devil's Temptation. It's the most difficult Elis record to find these days but perhaps you could get your hands on it in a second-hand store. The song writing is decent enough to deserve a remastered version one day. The initial production is certainly the album's biggest flaw. The band's greatest strengths are however the emotional vocals, intriguing lyrics and dynamic keyboard parts.

It captures my heart - 84%

FOrbIDen, October 31st, 2018
Written based on this version: 2003, CD, Scarecrow Records (Digipak)

Elis was a gothic metal band that was formed by five of the last six members of Erben der Schöpfung (the only other Liechtenstein gothic metal act on this site) after the band's first demise in 2001. I don't know why the band split from keyboardist Oliver Falk, but they obviously thought they could take Erben's metallic-edged electro-goth music, run with it and improve on it without him -- and that they did. What God's Silence, Devil's Temptation, the band's 2003 debut offers is a band that is still compositionally young but carries themselves with a lot more confidence. Though the band still maintains some of their electronic leanings, they don't have to hide behind them. Instead, they put themselves (more or less) on full display, letting their songwriting and ability speak for itself. And before I continue, let me clear something up: I don't mean that this album is some kind of technical masterwork of turn-of-the-millennia gothic metal, I just mean to say that Elis in 2003 had not yet had the time to become the tightly knit, thrash inspired gothic power house they would become in years to come.

It's hard to say when gothic metal became "modernized" (as modernized as a backwards-in-time looking genre like gothic metal can be), as there have been hints of this happening since the late nineties. But whether it was the traditional heavy metal leanings of Lullacry, or the increasing popularity and sway of bands like Lacuna Coil and HIM that really got the ball rolling, at some point the sound moved away from the doomier plodding that distinguished the genre in the nineties, and more towards streamlined structures and more forward songwriting and deliveries. I think that God's Silence, Devil's Temptation, before Elis got heavier and incorporated more leads into their sound, epitomizes the early phase of the emerging modern gothic metal sound. Like any early gothic act, the riffs aren't the most intense, they set the mood more for swaying than for headbanging, but then again, they're hardly the focus. It seems to me that the metal-ness of Elis is rather incidental, and it's simply there for aesthetic and genre related reasons. That's not meant as a detraction, and I'm not saying that the band isn't capable, they clearly are (the album is full of clever passages and guitar licks), but their preoccupations lie elsewhere.

The real personality of the band lives in the incorporation of keyboards. The atmosphere is neither sweepingly cinematic nor explicitly romantic, but in the fuzzy and hollow production the faux-strings and keyboard melodies are dark and moody, and despite general self-restraint, peak into epicness. Though to a lesser extent, electronic programming also makes up the sepia toned soundscape, mostly to add some deep swells and unnatural tinkering beats and shimmering effects. Compared to the band's earlier work with Erben der Schöpfung, this level of electronic influence might as well be non-existent, but the warbling and synthetic drones cork some of the wholes that the mix leaves behind and makes an otherworldly backdrop for the rest of the music.

All this attention on the music and atmosphere, but at it's core God's Silence, Devil's Temptation is a vocally driven album. It is abundantly clear from the first song, where the spotlight is, and yet if there was a reason someone would be put off by Elis, it would be the vocals. Sabine Dünser (RIP) handles vocal duties on God's Silence, and though she sounds unrefined and fragile, she also sounds more confident and powerful than she ever did on Erben der Shöpfung's debut Twilight. I will admit that when she tries some lower chest voice belts like she does on "My Only Love" she comes off as imprecise and tinny, but her real strengths lie in her head voice and falsetto. She's no operatic prodigy like Tarja or Floor Jansen, but in that range she has far more control over her instrument. She also does harmonies really well, layering vocal tracks upon vocal tracks do get an omnipotent choir feel. Sabine shares vocal duties with bassist Tom Saxer, who supplies an adequate, albeit bland death growl that represents one of two things: he either represents the traditional beast to Sabine's beauty (the literal devil or demon, or the darker inner voice of man), or some kind of crowd vocal as in "Where You Belong". Though neither singer are masters at their craft, they do play off of each other rather well.

God's Silence, Devil's Temptation is a transitional album. Not just for the band, who rose from the ashes of their first failed project, but for the genre. And it only teases what could become of both before the passing of Sabine and before the influence of Americanized metalcore some ten-odd years later. This is straightforward music that is cold and dark, but still maintains the lush atmosphere and intimacy of the genre's roots. This might be early on in the band's career, but they handled their debut with great care and the strong chemistry between members shines through.

God’s Silence Devil’s Temptation - 62%

anacrusis, January 27th, 2005

I was going through Elis’website the other day and I read something about Sabine’s (the main vocalist) musical background. Let me quote “I started singing in a choir at the age of 12 and I’m still singing in a choir because it’s good for hearing. I also studied 2 years classical singing”. Laugh Out Loud! I just came to the conclusion that Elis is one of those bands that includes a female vocalist for no apparent reason. This lady had 2 years of classical training but all she does on this record is trying to be even more annoying than Kylie Minogue. Why doesn’t she stick to her choir anyway? We already have enough pop singers on TV.
Since the main vocalist has nothing to offer, let’s focus on other elements of “God’s Silence Devil’s Temptation”. The industrial influences on this album are rather obvious (they even have the former member of Atrocity Martin Schmidt playing drums on 2 tracks). The most noticeable thing is definitely the distorted guitar riffs. The electronic/synthesized sound effects are never used in an excessive way. Sometimes they even sound like an orchestra playing in the background, providing a constant dark and melodic atmosphere along with the keyboards.
The band members should focus more on their individual performances though. After all they have two guitarists but they rarely shred. It’s a shame because the few solos on this album are actually pretty nice.
“Do You Believe” and “Devil’s Temptation” are definitely the best tracks. Can you hear the fast double-bass drumming and the growlings? These are the elements that give the harshness that lacks on almost the entire album. In fact, the guy who makes the growlings should be the full-time vocalist of the band.
“God’s Silence Devil’s Temptation” is not a great album but it doesn’t totally suck either. As I stated before, my major complaint is the female vocalist. The rest is ok but it needs to be worked over a bit. This album just sounds too radio-friendly.