Light and shadow in the Illumishade universe

The singer Fabienne Erni, leader of the folk metal band Eluveitie, presents us her new project: Illumishade with the debut album Eclyptic: Wake of Shadows.

Those who already know her through the voice of Eluveitie, now have the opportunity to get to know another side of the singer, where she shows us her vocal power and talent outside the limits of the folk metal genre, demonstrating her creativity, vocal versatility and intelligence as a songwriter.

She gathered excellent musicians on that journey, which brought a strong team, presenting a mature sound, well polished and very well produced technically. We can see this in the songs and especially in the instrumental songs.

illumishade-album — ILLUMISHADE – ECLYPTIC: Wake of Shadows (album cover)

Contrasts

Lights and shadows. Contrasts. A story told through music. The mix of heavy, strong sound and distortions of heavy metal with light, exciting and sensitive sounds create a deep and harmonic environment in the world of illumishade. When listening to the album track by track you will have the feeling that you are in a continuous tale, entering a story and knowing your characters, their virtues, strengths and weaknesses.

With each musician bringing different musical references, the album does not stick to a certain label, but we can classify it as a good metal album, in which there are grander songs with choirs, other heavier ones and also beautiful and sensitive ballads.

A world of imagination, magic and adventure. Expect this and more when listening to Eclyptic.

To Learn, To Teach, To Value, To Gather

In the opening track we have “Passage through the clouds”, an orchestrated opening with a choir that quotes a stanza inviting us to the story:
“LEARN WHAT IS BEFORE YOU
TEACH WHAT WAS GIFTED TO YOU
VALUE WHAT HAS BEEN EARNED
UNITE ALL NEW HORIZONS”

And then the album continues with “The Calling Winds”, and then “Tales of Time feat.Chrigel Glanzmann), here where the sound becomes more full-bodied, dense and heavy with the Chringel duet with most aggressive and guttural vocal, contrasting with Fabienne’s soft vocals. This song stands out right at the beginning of the adventure.

And then we have what I allow myself to call interlude or changes, with slower and instrumental songs, before the next song with lyrics. The instrumental “The Farewell Arcades” brings us to the sound of the ocean, birds and violins playing, while taking us to a more intense atmosphere with the sound of the heaviest guitar and drums.

In the sequence we have “Crystal Silence”. Here we have distortions, treble, the sound of the bass is very clear. A good chorus to sing along with. And highlight for the drums of this song.

ILLUMISHADE – Crystal Silence (single cover)

The most beautiful balad

The song that I particularly consider the most beautiful ballad on the record, after the song rise, here we have the song “What have I become”. Fabienne sings in a clean, smooth and sensitive way. It is an emotional and captivating song, giving us a calm and pause in the adventure, we stop and reflect. The instruments have an important role, with a good performance of the drums and beautiful arrangements of the violin and the choir, bringing a grand and emotional atmosphere, ending with a beautiful and well performed guitar solo.

Thus preparing for the next song “Rise”. It starts with Fabienne’s violin and delicate voice. Starting with a low tone, the music increases until it reaches the chorus “Try and hurt me …” raising the tone. All the magic can be felt here, with an emotional appeal with a message of overcoming and winning.

Into the Maelstrom takes us on a tour of the instrumental sound of the violin and piano, a beautiful orchestration, taking us to the next song “Muse of Unknown forces”. Starting with weight and distortion of guitars, with a vocal that varies from aggressive to the softest, standing out on the album.

In “Golden Lands” we have the piano as the protagonist and Fabienne’s soft, sweet and tuned voice, reaching high notes. A beautiful and calm ballad, having contrasts with the light guitar solos.

The instrumental “Beyond the Oobsidian Level” takes us to a different and heavier atmosphere, preparing the listener for something more immersive and heavy.

World’s End

“World’s End” was one of the first singles released and shows all the power of Illumishade. It has heavy stages, which can be considered the most “heavy metal” song on the album. Repetitive chorus, sudden sound changes and good guitar and drum solos add value to the ensemble.

The instrumental “Glowing Tide” closes the album, leaving us with the impression that everything went by so fast and wanting to hear more. And then the experience of listening to the world of Illumishade ends.

Negative and Positive points

Negative points: Only a song with a guttural vocal seemed little to bring an extra point on the album. One or more songs with heavier passages would make a difference, or even a darker chorus for some passages.

Positives: The versatility of Fabienne’s voice is something that makes all the difference. She showed that she can sing from the softest timbre to the heaviest and loudest tone. The musicians did a great job and also in instrumental music. The Corals played a fundamental role in bringing this atmosphere of weight and magic to the project.