REVIEW section : SPIRITUALIZED D
Electric Basement by Rev. Dude Rock
Asian stoner rock! And it works mightily! The trio bangs out both atmospheric intros and tar munch Master of Reality sonic sludge like seasoned pros. Each song relies on an epic feel and MONSTER BONG production that MUST be studied by those who follow. Although the riffs generally stay in that '73 Sab swagger, the album as a whole is just too wonderful sounding for words. "Selfish, Splendid Woman" crunches in so huge, you'd thought you'd been bludgeoned to death by a low-fi anvil. But then, you realize you are very much alive, albeit trippin' on volcanic acid. Sure, these are colorful adjectives that may not make sense. But like I said, this is too cool for words. "Stone Wedge" is a rare speedster that simply makes the adrenalized teeth clenching hunger grow to the point of insanity. The vocals, buried deliberately, are rightfully secondary to the vibe. Grand Canyon Marshall stacks on this one for sure. It's hard to believe there is only three geniuses here. Killer.
5/5 Lava Lamps
Roadburn by Chris Dexters

Man, Meteorcity pulls it off again! They manage to stay true to their statement of a couple of months ago: to only release music and bands they absolutely dig. Now, we all know that this should be the only motivation when running a record label, it still remains a noble deed not to choose bands on a purely money-generating basis. And it's obvious that the Meteorcity head honchos have mighty fine taste, as this is the third release in row to rudely stir up the stoner-doom world (following closely in the footsteps of Solace & The Quill).

But to cut short my blatant ass-kissing, "Spiritualized D" is Eternal Elysium's second album (the first being 1993's "Faithful", on the Japanese Cornucopia label) and it has come to to claim the throne of doom. I'd known a couple of Eternal Elysium songs from compilations ("Doomsday Recitation" and "At the Mountains of Madness"), so I kinda expected that this one would qualify to melt itself onto my CD player. But little did I know it would be of this caliber...

The opening salvo of "W.T.G.B" and "Splendid, Selfish Woman" hammers its way to your stomach with such groove and accuracy, it's frightening. Picture a sound drenched in giant doom-laden riffs and a good pinch of psychedelica (dominantly present in "Floating Downer" and the superb remake of Maiden's "Innocent Exile") with a nice 70s feel.

Eternal Elysium possess all the necessary skills to a write a powerful tune that's varied enough to hold your attention for nearly 8 minutes ("What A Difference A Day Makes") and know exactly when they've reached the point of saturation. This record doesn't bore me one second, as it concealed quite a few surprises, most notably the undeniable Angel Witch influences in "Faithful '99" (proof that the Japanese, like myself, never really got over the decline of NWOBHM :-). A sonic supernova in all its splendour... wonder if Meteorcity can equal or top this one with their next release?

Anyway, would someone please team these guys up with Church Of Misery and get them to the continent in a "Doom Godz of the East" double bill? Please?

Stoned Gods by Bokal
After some demos and compilations, Spiritualized D is the debut album from Japan's Eternal Elysium, described by the label of Albuquerque as "a turgid ocean of classic rock jamming early Sabbath atmospheres and stoner groove power". This definitions can be enough to describe this incredible band, but the sound of this album run through all the greatest bands of the seventies, with the addiction of a wonderful personal touch.Ê I have to admit that when I listened the first seconds of W.T.G.B. I thought I was hearing something from the early Pink Floyd, but then a powerful stoner attack broke the sweetness of the first sounds as an earthquake: a perfect beginning. The second song has got some heavy Sabbath guitarriffs in its first part, but then the music progress to a more various and really attractive section, with a great faster final. Floating Downer is similar to the previous track for its structure, but I have to underline the final voices that take me back to the Floyd's Astronomy atmospheres. Trick Or Steal have got another groovy Sabbath attack, while What A Difference starts with some chords really similar to the Kyuss riff on Fatso Forgotso that lead to a visionary place with dreaming guitars and floating voices.

Stone Wedge is the faster song of the track list and remember some Iron Maiden things; probably the band appreciates this British metal band, in fact, after the amazing passage of Easygoin', we found a track, Innocent Exile, signed by a certain Steve Harris...

Faithful '99 is the final title of the track list, introduced by tripping guitar effects and built on a solid apocalyptic guitar riff, for a six minute beautiful instrumental dream.Ê There are also other fifteen minutes of music, but I can't say nothing, you have to discover them! I can finally declare this as a masterpiece of the stoner rock, full of seventies hard rock inspirations, but also full of great personality! Meterocity has found another incredible miracle in which we have to believe!
Stoner Rock Rules! by Neddal Ayad
Mmmmmm. Dooomy. This is good. I haven't heard a full on doom record since...well...since the Abdullah demo (note: Meteorcity have just signed Abdullah as well....). I really don't get enough of this stuff.

Nothing screamingly original here, but they touch on all the right bases. A bit o' Sabbath, a bit o' Trouble, maybe some of the Hellhound bands, a bit o' Cathedral. The riffs rule, Yukito Okazaki gives Tommy Southard and Dan Moore a run for their money in the "how many cool riffs can I fit into a song?" contest. I also really like the production on this disc. It's really raw, no gloss at all. Everything is nice and in your face as well. When you pop on the disc you get the impression that the bands is actually playing, at an extreme volume, inside your stereo. Quite cool.

Oh, one little personal thing: Why the hell is there an alarm clock ringing throughout the track "What a Difference a Day Makes?" Argh!
Cream of Anarchy by CAMERON ARCHER
I've enjoyed MeteorCity's output over the past few months. Nothing from that label, though, could prepare me for what was to come. Eternal Elysium is a stoner rock band from Japan, and this time, the Black Sabbath sticker is labeled properly. Let's face it, this is almost seventy fucking minutes of sludgy riffs, perverse heaviness and weed worship. Let's get the negative points out of the way first: the vocals are weak, the riffs get a little repetitive sometimes, and this album is too long for this type of music, unless you're a stoner rock fan, in which case you'd best get that Thai bud out of your bedroom and into your mouth.Ê Well...p...that's it for the negatives.

Now, then, I'd like to digress from my prepared remarks to describe how good the album is. First off, the guitars are heavy and doomy, and that's basically a plus where I come from. Even though there are many stoner bands that say they're heavy, well, this one is HEAVY. The guitars are simply played and downtuned to death, but this is a good thing, because it's played in the spare Sabbath tradition. They do play guitar very well. They lay down their notes, get the job done, and get the hell outta there before the house comes down, you know? The sound quality is very good on this album, much more than I can say for that Spirit Caravan EP I reviewed a few months back (actually, August 29, 1999). The titles on the album are frequently very interesting: "W.T.G.B.", "What A Difference A Day Makes," "Stone Wedge." The cover reminds me of those psychedelic albums from the '60s (including the "hippie" record that this webzine takes its name from), as well as beating the hell out of any cover Trouble does. I can't hear the lyrics, but but this once, damn the lyrics. They mix with the music, and that's all that matters. I think I hear (old) Santana influences in the music, too.Ê Finally, there's this overlong fifteen-minute instrumental piece with tablas, matsuribue, didjeridoo, and a host of other out-of-the-way instruments and effects. You probably wouldn't like it, but I don't mind it.

Overall, Eternal Elysium has put out a strong guitar record that will appeal to fans of the old psychedelic stoner rock style looking for a band that can match their Trouble and Goatsnake albums. I'm sorry for not being more critical, but this is such a good record. Man, I wish I had some acid with me...that would be coooooool...hehehe
Night Ritual by Reneee Maxwell
What a pleasant surprise from Japan. Great stoner metal much in the vein of CATHEDRAL, BLACK SABBATH, etc. But with a bit of original flavor as well. So many bands in this genre just end up BLACK SABBATH clones but here's a band that tries to have an original sound while staying true to the roots of stoner doom. Great production.Ê Fans of this genre you really should give this band a shot.
CMJ by Cheryl Botchick
The thriving stoner metal movement continues to morph and splinter into new subgenres, one of the most ear-bleeding and compelling being the Japanese doom rock scene. Eternal Elysium is one of its crown jewels, and Spiritualized D, comprised of tracks from the band's four-year career as well as a pair of new songs, is the band's first stateside release. Beginning with the lumbering riff of the first track, this power trio defies the laws of physics, constructing an absolutely colossal guitar sound with its surprisingly spare set-up. What sets it apart from the other sprawling groove-oriented bands, however, is the vocals of Yukito Okazaki, whose soaring, crystal-clear pipes are unusually high in the bandÕs mix. The overall effect? The legendary Clapton-led Cream turned Satanic.
The Crass Menagerie by Jeb
As a long time fan of the heavy psychedelia of the late 60s and early 70s I was totally incensed a few years ago when CATHEDRAL tried to reintroduce that vibe into the doom scene but did so with only the campiest and cheesiest cliches intact and reduced the entire thing to nothing more than a gimmick to get press and move product. Naturally bands fell all over themselves trying to imitate CATHEDRAL and a lot of doom degenerated into "neo-acid rock" and was so horrible I couldn't listen to it. It's a good thing a some of the IRON BUTTERFLY back catalog was re-released on CD, eh?

I tell you all this because when I first put ETERNAL ELYSIUM on I thought they were going to be another band who had spent too much time listening to CATHEDRAL. Fortunately they are not. They are the real deal. Yes, E.E. are trying to recreate the vibe of a musical era now 30 years old but they do so with a sincerity and diligence that is commendable. They play serious new doom with serious historical influences. URIAH HEAP meets STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK meets BLACK SABBATH. It works and CATHEDRAL be damned.
The Fang Magazine by Dave Vickers
Japanese stoners who owe almost as much to Zeppelin as they do to Sabbath, whoa!! It's not quite dark enough to fall into the doom genre but with the average song length (nine in total) being over 7 minutes, it doesn't stray too far. Lots of tempo switch ups and far out vocal effects help to keep this highly psychedelic sound moving from level to level without any undue outside enhancement. There's a definite 80s-metal vibe to the vocals that accompanies the mood created by the dropped tones almost perfectly. It's hard to pick any favorites since each song is unique in at least one aspect. It's best to swallow this one whole.
Backfire Magazine by Dawn Anderson
I try to avoid writing record reviews, because at this late date I find it about as fun as setting myself on fire. But I just had to say something about this release, which is yet another humiliating case of a Japanese rock band embracing an American trend and then royally kicking our sorry fat asses. Seriously, if the stoner rock competition gets wind of this they'll want to smash their ornate glass dragon bongs (oh, sorry, water pipes) in disgrace. This shit slays.

Apparent Deep Purple worshippers, Eternal Elysium combines space trucking tweakiness with huge bludgeoning boulders of crunch. They cover an old Maiden song, "Innocent Exile", a very classy choice.Ê Their reverence is obvious, and sincere reverence is crucial if this sort of music is going to, uh, fly.

Inspirational titles: "Floating Downer", "Stone Wedge", "Splendid, Selfish Woman" (yeah, they wrote it for me).
DigitalMetal.com by Jason Hundey
Now here's a band whose name fits - Eternal Elysium is heavenly stoner doom metal that reaches realms of Sabbathy paradise thus far untouched by their Western world counterparts. You see Eternal Elysium hail from Japan, not a country most people link as synonymous with obese, oppressive guitar riffing, churning leads that reek of dirty blues, or stinging, emotive wailing vocals. Spiritualized D is simply a masterpiece of doom; why it has gotten little attention just baffles the mind. Every single track is traditional, in your face 70's doom, dripping with oblique Sabbath, St. Vitus, Trouble and Fu Manchu attributes. Take Sabbath's Master of Reality, Penance's Parallel Corners, Cathedral's Soul Sacrifice, Fu ManchuÕs In Search Of... and any early Trouble release, fuse them together with Electric Wizard and serve blisteringly hot. Most bands lack Elysium's musical audacity, unadulterated heaviness, and ability to capture true rock spirit, as they are usually too busy trying to look or sound cool; Electric Wizard being the only worthy exception. This is a serious musical purging, folks. Even genre leaders like Cathedral need to take a few pointers from the dynamic sonic wall built on the Paranoid-like blues of "Trick or Steal," or the sluggish charm of "Floating Downer." The vocals are faint and familiar, see opener "W.T.G.B," but somehow impossible to place, yet they are unimportant in the sonic warzone explored on Spiritualized D. The punkish "Stone Wedge" could have been snatched off an old Fu Manchu, or C.O.C. record, while "Easygoin'" stirs up memories of "Fairies Wear Boots," minus Ozzy, of course. Iron Maiden's classic, "Innocent Exile," is fuzzed-up and tuned down, in a brave, surprisingly competent rendition on the album. Yet, it is the closing pair of instrumentals that push the musical boundaries of the Doom genre to new heights. First is a bastard child of England's two prominent 90's doom bands, "Faithful '99," which sounds like Cathedral performing a punishing rocker, co-penned by My Dying Bride circa Turn Loose the Swans or Angel And the Dark River. It's virtually unexplainable to deprived ears, as is the haunting, unnamed final track. A quiet, 14-minute piece of traditional Japanese composing, the song recalls the nation's greatest - and possibly the world's were it not for his unfortunate obscurity - composer, Toru Takemitsu. Takemitsu gained recognition in the 60's, 70's and 80's as an abstract film composer, who scored for the likes of Akira Kurosawa and several other famous filmmakers. Combining Western classical music with traditional Japanese flutes, percussion instruments, and other strange items, he created an ambient, eerie soundscape, thus far, unmatched in classical recording history (trust me, check him out if you are looking for dark classical music). This final hidden track is a brilliant tribute to a true genius of 20th Century music, showing a mature, vulnerable and musically introspective side to the band, which they kept hidden throughout the course of the first nine songs. What a breathtakingly beautiful end, to an amazingly punishing masterpiece of an album.
Chaos Realm
Another in the fine line of releases Meteor City has belched forth, this is the work of a superb Japanese doom metal band headed up by Yukito Okazaki (guitars/vox) & joined by Eiichi Okuyama (bass) & Takashi Kuroda (drums). The thing I really like a lot about these guys is that they are not strictly limited to the '80's forward doom style. In fact, to me they have one helluva lot of '70's influence, something that makes 'em near & dear to my heart. Listen to stuff like "Easy Goin'" or the 8+ minute "Splendid, Selfish Woman." This album has as much in common with the FLOWER TRAVELIN BAND or CACTUS as it does with newer doom and that's fine with me. Check out those jazzy, early Iommi stylings sprinkled throughout as well, and a cover of Maiden's "Innocent Exile!"
Lollipop by Craig Regala
Somewhere in Joe Carducci's epoch-defining Rock and the Pop Narcotic he mentions how the Sub Pop "thing" -- early on when they were realigning rock music -- was part of the ethos similar to the collision when mid-'60s greaser met late '60s hippie (i.e. Blue Cheer). This CD does the same thing with hippie rock and heavy metal. It's fluid, heavy and rolling rather than taut punk influenced, hi-tech, or industrial. Akin to removing any of the nascent prog moves Sabbath dipped into in favor of the riffs and post-whiteboy blues/R&B they used to create the creaking monster they worked into metal proper after a couple LPs. Like Solarized, Eternal Elysium heard all those Hendrix, Santana, Frank Marino records everyone's cool uncle had, but it didn't fuck 'em up.

If you really like Sheavy and want something similar, buy this. Not just as a genre slice but because they're pretty good. The songwriting and playing is a-OK, the stuff's crafted enough that it isn't just "blast at a riff and hope it sticks" gunk, and the non-riffy parts owe more to heavy psych like the great Nipponese crew White Heaven (their Out disc's a stone fucking classic) than the annoying "I noodle therefore I am" power drop that bugs me about most jammy/hippie stuff. The last cut does have flute and acoustic plinking, etc., thankfully it's done in the zonked free jazz/folk/traditional Japanese way Ghost does when they wander around.
Bright Eyes Germany by Frederik KrŸppel
Also wenn ich mir jetzt dieses Cover ansehe: verschlungener Schriftzug, darunter bilden die unteren Teile zweier weiblicher Torsos eine BlŸte, bei der das "magische Dreieck" von einem sternfsrmigen Blatt einer gut bekannten und berauschenden Pflanze verdeckt wird, und das Gesamte hinterlS§t einen Eindruck als sehe man es unter eine WasseroberflSche. Die Farbgestalt-ung (leuchtend grŸn und pink) und das Photo der drei japanischen Musiker (erinnert an Led Zep. 3) veranlassen zur Vermutung: Die 68er sind back, lang leben die Hippies und das "Psyche-delische". Doch was ist das? Die Musik beginnt und mit einem Schritt sind wir zwei Jahre weiter, harter, Doomige Gitarrenriffs, die einen durchaus an "Black Sabbath", "NIB" oder "Lord Of These World" erinnern. Beim Sound hat man sich bemŸht, eben das Flair dieser Zeit einzufangen, und vermutlich auch Equipment aus dieser Zeit dazu benutzt. Neben 9 offiziellen Tracks, ist am Ende noch ein fast zehnminŸtiges "Psychedelic"-Inferno, bei dem von Pfeifen, Rasseln, Tambourin und-wer-wei§-noch-alles vertreten ist. Nebenbei erwShnt: Durch den Besitz dieser Scheibe habe ich das Recht bei der "Hippie - 70er - Fraktion" in unserem Jahrgang bekommen, als Gast bei den strenggeheimen "Psychedelic-Doom-Parties" vorbeizuschauen, allerdings nur solange bis die Mitglieder das Werk ihr eigen nennen (ca.2 Tage bis nach V…).
Detritus by Tim
I tried listening to this thing several times before I finally sat down and said, "OK, you *have* to review this now." I'm just not digging these potheads... Many of the songs are just too damn long and Black Sabbathly plodding, unfortunately obscuring some memorable spots (a few riffs, some rousing double-time sections, etc.). Easily, the best songs are the shortest: the wah-y, percussive 2:56 instrumental "Trick Or Steal," and the 2:20 "Stone Wedge" grooves right along like vintage Dio-era Sabbath. "Easygoin'" has a slightly more commercial bent and might get a few feet stompin', too. But there's just too much sludge, muck, and mire otherwise. And who's idea was it to include an unlisted 10th track (possibly named "Woo-EE-Doo") that consists of 15 minutes of jungle sounds, pipes, cymbals, and damn near every other percussion instrument on the planet??? Egads! Oh yeah, almost forgot: the version of "Innocent Exile" here is a remixed version of the one that appears on the SLAVE TO THE POWER Iron Maiden tribute. It's packed with everything from Police-style reggae, jazz, and country twang to the expected Sabbath thunk.
Shockwaves Magazine
I didn't even realize that Eternal Elysium were from Japan until I read the liner notes. Even after glimpsing at the band photo on the CD sleeve, I figured their eyes were slightly slanted only because they were stoned! Anyway, Eternal Elysium is in fact from Japan, but you would never know as they sound far from your typical Jap-metal band. They too heavily favor the Sabbath side of retro-metal. But, like Solace, this power trio writes good tunes, and are pretty damn talented to boot. Highlights include "Splendid, Selfish Woman," an interesting version of Maiden's "Innocent Exile," and the instrumentals "Faithful '99" and "Trick Or Steal," with a taste of Santana and a borrowed riff from Sweet ("Set Me Free"). [Speaking of instrumental stoner-rock, check out the band Karma To Burn...one of the best of this breed!]
Metalkings.com
Don't tell me there are no original stoner rock bands around. There are, but you have to look outside your regular circle of performers to find them. For instance, you may look at Japan where three young gentlemen have been playing this kind of music in the band called Eternal Elysium for years. "Spiritualized D" is their first release outside Japan, though the band came into international spotlight a bit earlier, after recording a track for "Slave To The Power - A Tribute To Iron Maiden." I haven't heard that tune, but what I heard on "Spiritualized D" really surpised me. Eternal Elysium's music is 100 percent stoner, but there is something exotic in their songs, something that makes them sound unlike anybody else. Maybe that's the oriental mentality that makes the guys play that way, or maybe it's their extraordinary talent, but the result is a breath of fresh air for the genre that has clogged in self-repetition. Unfortunately, the band is also impossible to appreciate in full without doing drugs - they even go as far as welcoming visitors of their web page with the words "Hello smokers!" - but that is typical for stoner rock acts. Another drawback is lack of hits (don't tell me there've never been hits in stoner - just think of Catherdal's "Soul Sacrifice" or Black Sabbath's "War Pigs"). Anyway, what you get here is 60-something minutes of very cool music, very groovy and upbeat. And this is truly original - that's the main thing. (Maniac)