Elegeion

Biography

Elegeion is an Australian Doom Metal band with weeping guitars, violin, Gothic influenced female vocals highlighting the Doomy male growls. Elegeion arose from the ashes of the underground Australian Black Metal band Greydawn in 1995 under the name Transcendence, consisting of Anthony Kwan and James Wallbridge. Although Elegeion's style predominantly reflects that of mournful doom, many of the early tracks were in fact written and played in black metal style throughout 1993-1994 with Greydawn....

Elegeion is an Australian Doom Metal band with weeping guitars, violin, Gothic influenced female vocals highlighting the Doomy male growls.

Elegeion arose from the ashes of the underground Australian Black Metal band Greydawn in 1995 under the name Transcendence, consisting of Anthony Kwan and James Wallbridge. Although Elegeion's style predominantly reflects that of mournful doom, many of the early tracks were in fact written and played in black metal style throughout 1993-1994 with Greydawn.

1996 saw the release of the demo of epic proportions "Induction to eternal rest..." which gave rise to interest from several European labels, tape traders and magazines worldwide. 1997 saw the demo's release on MCD by Candlelight Records under the title "Odyssey into darkness" and the new band name Elegeion. The EP was aptly described as "gothic / classical metal with the emphasis on trance-like, hypnotic riffs with powerful operatic female vocals and mournful violins". Subsequent reviews and advertising followed in both mainstream and underground fanzines worldwide. Sales of the demo were in excess of 2000 units.

In 1998/99, rehearsal and demo tapes of the new album were recorded. In 2000, differences in musical direction resulted in Elegeion consisting solely of Anthony, although past collaborations with James still feature in recent works. With a lack of Australian musicians who sympathized with this direction in music, the rest of the line up consists of Dieudonnee on vocals and session musicians on drums / percussion, cello and violin. Having undying passion and conviction behind the concept and direction of Elegeion, Anthony believes that working solo with selected musicians who are masters of their trade has proven to be the strongest and most effective line-up yet.

The year 2000 saw Elegeion travel interstate and enter the supreme Nesci Recordings studio for two months to record the ultra-emotive epic album "Through the Eyes of Regret". Recorded, mixed and produced by the eccentric old man Tony Nesci, of Henry Rollins, Chalice and Long Voyage Back fame, the album has a world standard production, full of warmth and character.

In 2002, Elegeion recorded an as yet unreleased single entitled "For Blacker Things", featuring a temporary regression back to black metal roots, with guest vocals by ex-Greydawn and Hellspawn vocalist Morbius Warseth.

2003-2004 saw a creative collaboration with Dieudonnee and former member James, which resulted in Elegeion re-entering Nesci Studios in March to record their 3rd epic "The Last Moment". The album takes you deeper into the bands unrelenting descent into the boundless pit of despair. And, although like the Loch ness Monster, this band rarely raise their heads above the black murky depths to bring an offering to the surface, you will see that this new chapter in the Elegeion journey is well worth the wait. It features supreme artwork by Travis Smith of Katatonia, Death and Opeth fame, Justin Hartwig from Chalice on lead guitar and exceptional violin and cello passages.

The quest of Elegeion is to transcend all existing boundaries of aestheticism, capture the darkest of all emotions and delve through the forgotten recesses of the mind. This music is for those seeking to surpass the musical ambit and redefine its boundaries. Although this quest may never be ultimately achieved, it will never be abandoned. Hopefully, it can only inspire and temporarily satisfy the ears of those searching for the ultimate emotive experience...but until then, listen... Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.