Elis is a gothic metal band from Liechtenstein and this is their fourth disc (actually their third disc under the band name Elis; they called themselves Erben der Schöpfung on their first disc) and their last one with female vocalist Sabine Dünser, who passed away quite untimely shortly before this disc was released. They play very heavy, accessible guitar-driven gothic metal with frequent power metal touches in the guitar leads. Although they incorporate some keys and electronica for atmosphere, their songs are primarily driving and upbeat with very catchy choruses, crunchy guitars and thunderingly heavy bass and drums.

Sabine Dünser had an excellent vocal style for the music; she sang with what I can best describe as a "little girl" soprano style – strong, beautiful and expressive, but somewhat laid back and pleasant rather than operatic or soaring. There are occasional death vocals on their earlier discs but none on Greifshire.

There is an evolution in Elis’s songwriting approach as you move through their discography. Their first disc as Erben der Schöpfung, called Twilight, was somewhat dark and atmospheric and mostly sung in German; perhaps they changed their name because their first disc as Elis, called God's Silence, Devil's Temptation, was completely different – the songs are closer to pop music in their simplicity, but reasonably heavy with occasional death vocals and some German lyrics. Their second disc as Elis, Dark Clouds in a Perfect Sky, is melodic but much less poppy than God's Silence, Devil's Temptation, with a dramatic increase in heaviness – indeed, it often sounds like Sabine’s vocals are creating almost all the melody against an extremely thick bass and drum rhythm.

Although I like everything Elis has recorded, I find Griefshire overall the most satisfying. They seem to have settled on a blend of these last two styles and Griefshire strikes me as what Elis had been aiming for all along with Sabine. It is nicely poppy but not a bit overdone like God's Silence, Devil's Temptation; and it is nicely heavy but not a bit overdone like Dark Clouds in a Perfect Sky. And Sabine never sounded better.

For more information visit the band’s websites http://www.myspace.com/elisofficial or http://www.elis.li

8.5 / 10