Lion Of Judas straddles the line between deathcore and metalcore. They do a nice job of varying tempos, which you'd think would be simple enough to figure out, but a huge number of bands in this genre play every song the same speed. Elysia is able to play at fast tempos, then when the breakdowns kick in the contrast is obvious. It's also effective on the slower paced songs. When they play breakdowns on those tracks, the tempo slows to a glacial, crushing crawl. It's heavy and oppressive, and when the tempo cranks back up it's a cathartic release.
The vocals are pretty typical hardcore screams and yells. They are delivered with passion and emotion, although a little more diversity in that area would help. Lion Of Judas checks in at just 28 minutes, but Elysia squeezes a lot into that time, and it's always better to leave them wanting more than to overstay your welcome.
(released June 10, 2008 on Ferret Music)
