ELEGY OF MADNESS hailing from Taranto, Italy were formed in 2005 by guitarist Tony Tomasicchio. The symphonic Metal outfit released four full-length and one live albums so far. Album number five was produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Simone Mularoni (DEATHLESS LEGACY; ELVENKING; MOONLIGHT HAZE) at Dominion Studio San Marino, and co-produced by Simone Bertozzi (STRANGER VISION). “XI” has a length of about 42 minutes, and it was released via Italian Power, Thrash, and Heavy Metal specialists Scarlet Records.

The album starts with a tension-building, symphonic intro, transitioning into “Broken Soul”, which starts with very powerful guitar riffing supported by orchestral arrangements. The verse parts act as a counterpoint, being quiet and driven by the voice of Kyrah Aylin, whose vocals range at the high end of the vocal range and she occasionally includes a few operatic features. “Broken Soul” is a mixture of dark, heavy bombast on one hand and quietness combined with beautiful melodies on the other hand. The track has been released as video and the YouTube link is provided below. “Hybrid Love” starts with heavy riffs supported by electronic features. The vocals are more Rock oriented and even include a few occasional growling notes. The orchestral arrangements are more in the background, with the brass and strings being the main contributors. It is a track ranging between mid-tempo and a measured pace for the break. The chorus melodies are catchy and gives the track an extra layer. “Revelation” starts epic with thunderous riffing supported by the arrangements. The melodies for the verse parts are inspired by Middle Eastern traditional music. The vocals are the highlights of the track as Kyrah Aylin’s versatility perfectly fits into the melodic framework of the song. “Revelation” is one of the best album tracks.

“Insanity” has a quiet start driven by the piano and the vocals, transitioning into a mid-tempo track with heavy riffing. While the verse parts are guitar-driven, the chorus part are more bombastic, with the orchestral arrangements being at full swing. The melodies have many ballad-esque features, but the highlight of the track is the contributing lead guitar solo. “Goddess” starts with heavy riffing and the brass providing the melodies. While the orchestral arrangements are in the background during the verse parts, they are more the focal point during the chorus part. “Goddess” includes some heavy parts with the riffing, the double-bass drumming, and most notably occasional male growling vocals. The melodies are quite diverse with many changes throughout the track, including a bit of oriental vibes again. “Moon” is the album ballad driven by the orchestral arrangements and the vocals, where the strings as the main contributor are more in the background to make sure that Kyrah Aylin is the focal point of the track. While the first part of the track is tension-building, at some point, all instruments join in with powerful riffs, but the vocals are on top of all. It is the performance of Kyrah Aylin, who makes “Moon” to a great ballad and one of the album highlights.

One of the album features is that almost every song starts with a short pre-lude and “Portrait Of A Ghost” is no exception. While the start sounds almost like a Death Metal track, the base of the song is at a measured pace, driven by the orchestral arrangements, the riffing, and the vocals. However, throughout the track, Death Metal features are evident like the male growls and a lot of double-bass drumming in between. Altogether, “Portrait Of A Ghost” is a mixture of many elements, but the core of the track is ballad-esque. After the electronic one-minute inter-lude “A.I. Slavery”, “Crawling” is the fastest and most dynamic track on the album. Inspired by oriental melodies, it is a heavy song with tight guitar riffing, double-bass drumming, and growling vocals in between the clean vocals. Despite all the Power and Death Metal elements within the track, the vocals make the difference. “Crawling” is at least partially different from most album tracks, and it is a welcomed change to the album sound. The album finishes with “Legion” and it starts with thunderous riffing and the orchestral arrangements driven by the brass and strings. It is a characteristic album track with switches between heavy riffing and bombastic arrangements and quiet parts driven by the vocals. However, as the album goes on, more and more growls are added to the songs and “Legion” add both, male and female growls. “Legion” is a great way to end the album and one of the best songs on the album.

ELEGY OF MADNESS deliver a very good symphonic Metal album. “XI” is a mixture of heavy guitars and bombastic orchestral arrangements. The addition of various Metal subgenres gives the album its own character. The focal point of the album is vocalist Kyrah Aylin. Her huge vocal range, versatility, and capability to adapt to different styles makes the difference and gives the album an extra dimension. She stamps her authority to every track from the first to the final note. The album is well produced. “XI” is among the best symphonic Metal album I listened to this year and fans of this genre will be delighted with the new album of ELEGY OF MADNESS.