EP Review: Enquire Within – Elysium
Reviewed by Drew McCarthy
Hailing from London, heavy metal band Enquire Within continue their meteoric rise as they prepare to unleash another aural assault in the form of their new new EP, Elysium, which is heralded by their explosive brand new single and accompanying music video for Seeds of Destruction.
Enquire Within began life as a band back in 2016 by Dan Lewin and Henry Waller before they brought Jacob Waller, the brother of Henry on board. By 2019 the lads had begun writing material which eventually became their debut album entitled Bloodlines and in 2020 decided to release a live version of their debut, recorded at Hackney Road Studios and then went on to release their sophomore album, ReBirth near the end of 2021.
Elysium is the follow up to that album and after the opening intro of the EP which is also the title track, Elysium begins proper with Seeds Of Destruction. A powerful statement of intent if ever there was one, a song that wages war on religion and features the impressive talents thrash metal vocalist, Howard Smith of Acid Reign. Stompy riffs laden with groove, punctuate this opening song, coupled with a percussive battery that absolutely pummels.
Prison and Point Of No Return are two altogether different beasts. One song tells a narrative about the downfall of mankind and has a traditional sounding heavy metal chorus, before descending into spoken word, something that I have not heard being used much when it comes to the genre. The other deals with a subject that I myself have dealt with and that is mental health issues, a subject that I am very glad is getting a lot more attention especially in men, as unfortunately there still seems to be a stigma attached when men decide to open up about anything that is getting them down.
Elysium is an EP that grabs you by the throat from the start and does not let go until the final note has wrung out. While it does have all the traditional tropes that heavy metal is known for, it does not sound at all like it is stuck in the past. Enquire Within are a band that have found their niche iand if their subsequent releases are as good as this, who knows how far these lads could go.
