Lion of Judas

Sacramento deathcore outfit Elysia have been battling misconceptions from day one — specifically accusations of senseless misogyny and rampant immaturity relating to one of their earliest songs, "Incinerate," which has hung around singer Zak Vargas' neck, albatross-like, since 2004, and quite possibly spurred the resignation of all his original bandmates, to boot. Whatever the cause of this mass exodus, Vargas and assorted later-day cohorts have been trying to turn the page ever since, and their sophomore full-length, Lion of Judas, certainly has some highly respected supporters in its corner, in renowned producer (and Converge guitarist) Kurt Ballou (Isis, Cave In, etc.), and leading hardcore label Ferret Records. Released in the summer of 2008, Lion of Judas really seems to try extra hard where its lyrics are concerned, with Vargas delving extensively into biblical imagery for inspiration — not as a believer, but as an assailant against the decline of American society at the hands of manipulative power brokers (see "Box of Need(les)," "Crown of Thorns," etc.). Of course none of this would be remotely clear were it not for the album's venomous, stage-setting opening number, "Lack of Culture," but surely there's no confusing the vocalist's open disdain for organized religion as laid out in explicitly cynical diatribes like "Plague of Insects" ("There's no Saviour in you, in me, in anything") and the title track ("I'd rather be in this cold world all alone than to feel the warmth of drones worshipping the throne"), among others. Yikes! As for the music framing all of this bitter invective, Elysia's songwriting tends to be merely effective, more so than impressive. There are occasional ear-catching moments to be found in tracks like "Flood of Kings," "Fountain of Life," and the aforementioned title track; typically coming over faster tempos, rather than the excessively prevalent slothful ones, and never mind the requisite breakdowns that the band can't help but indulge in (that's hardcore, folks!). So suffice to say that Lion of Judas is more likely to convert listeners with its words than its music, but then, that was probably Elysia's primary concern at this stage of their career, anyway. Maybe the third album will be the charm...