{"id":45399,"date":"2026-09-24T07:54:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T05:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orkus1.com\/an-interview-with-elysion-part-1-of-2\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T09:50:39","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T07:50:39","slug":"an-interview-with-elysion-part-1-of-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orkus1.com\/en\/an-interview-with-elysion-part-1-of-2\/","title":{"rendered":"An Interview with ELYSION (Part 1 of 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Elysion was founded in Greece in 2006. They are celebrating their 20th anniversary with their new studio album, \u201cIdentity.\u201d In our two-part interview, we speak with singer Christianna about two decades of the band\u2019s history, their musical evolution, the significance of identity, and the personal stories behind some of the new songs. <\/p>\n\n

Orkus:<\/strong> First of all, congratulations on your 20th anniversary! Does it really feel like that much time has passed? Christianna:<\/strong> On behalf of the whole band, thank you so much for the opportunity to talk with you! It actually feels crazy when you realize it\u2019s already been 20 years\u2014time really flies\u2026 When I look back, it feels like it was just yesterday that we released \u201cSilent Scr3am\u201d!! <\/p>\n\n

O:<\/strong> How would you say you\u2019ve evolved as a band over the years? What\u2019s \u201cdifferent\u201d compared to your first album? C:<\/strong> Well, the transition from Elysion 2006 to Elysion 2026 went, I’d say, pretty smoothly. It just felt natural for us to evolve in this way. No album was marked by deliberately planned changes. We simply listened to our gut and stayed true to our goal\u2014which has been to write beautiful songs from day one. Yes, the sound is harder today and the production is different, but we feel that we\u2019ve managed to never lose our identity. And that\u2019s exactly what leads us to the title and concept of our fourth album. <\/p>\n\n

O:<\/strong> Referring to the album title \u201cIdentity\u201d: Has your understanding of Elysion\u2019s identity changed over the past two decades?C:<\/strong> If you only look at the surface and focus on the new experiments or the harshness of the sound, you might think that Elysion is now taking a slightly different approach. But when you look at the big picture, everything is still there: the influences, the focus on melodies, the intensity of the emotions, the atmosphere. We\u2019ve never strayed from that, and that was precisely the big challenge: to grow without losing ourselves. <\/p>\n\n

O:<\/strong> The album kicks off with a very powerful track, \u201cDo Or Die.\u201d Is there a story behind the song? C:<\/strong> There\u2019s a story behind every Elysion song in one way or another. \u201cDo Or Die\u201d is meant to be a slap in the face and symbolizes all the dependencies we have to fight against in order to survive. And by dependencies, I don\u2019t just mean substances\u2014I mean everything that holds us back psychologically, feeds us poison, and has led us to believe in the first place that we even need it. Everyone can relate to it in their own way\u2014I certainly do. Hopefully, it\u2019s a truly powerful opener for the album and sets the tone for what\u2019s to come. It\u2019s going to be really intense. <\/p>\n\n

O:<\/strong> You were able to bring on Saki Tolis for \u201cHarvest\u201d and Konstantinos Togas for \u201cThe Last Ride.\u201d How did these collaborations come about? C:<\/strong> First of all, I\u2019d like to say that this is the very first time we\u2019ve ever had guest vocalists on an album\u2014so that\u2019s one of the big surprises on \u201cIdentity.\u201d However, we really felt that the songs were leading us in this direction and that it was necessary for them to fulfill their purpose. So it was a very deliberate decision. Now, every guest really deserves their own paragraph, but I have to keep this brief, which is very difficult for me. What can one say about Sakis Tolis, the man who practically built the entire Greek metal scene from the ground up and earned worldwide respect through sweat, blood, and hard work when there was nothing to fall back on\u2026 And yet, even after so many decades, he\u2019s still just as humble and approachable as ever. We feel indescribably honored. Konstantinos Togas, my other duet partner on \u201cRide,\u201d is a true force of nature. He sets both Nightrage and his own band, Herta, on fire. And once again, we\u2019re so grateful for the incredible energy he brought to the song. We had the best time ever while recording. I could talk for hours about the significance of both songs, but for now I\u2019ll just say that these two valuable additions show that there\u2019s really no such thing as \u201cfemale-fronted metal\u201d anymore. There are no boundaries between genres\u2014in the end, it\u2019s all about good music and collaborations born out of love. <\/p>\n\n

O:<\/strong> \u201cDeclaration of Darkness\u201d is particularly intense. How did this song come about? C:<\/strong> \u201cDeclaration of Darkness\u201d is certainly one of the most important songs on \u201cIdentity\u201d because it embodies the entire concept behind the album. It\u2019s also one of my personal favorite Elysion songs of all time. It\u2019s our tribute to everyone who\u2019s like us\u2014to \u201cour people.\u201d And by that, I don\u2019t just mean Elysion fans. I mean everyone who loves rock music, everyone who finds a deeper meaning in it. Everyone who felt a little different or even a little left out while growing up. A little melancholic, perhaps with the feeling of having to swim against the current. I sing these words for everyone who felt like they didn\u2019t belong anywhere\u2014and I sing them from the bottom of my heart. <\/p>\n\n

Claudia Zinn-Zinnenburg<\/p>\n\n

Lineup:<\/strong>Christianna \u2013 VocalsJohnny Zero \u2013 GuitarsNid \u2013 GuitarsJ-Kon \u2013 Drums<\/p>\n\n

Watch the video for \u201cDead Loves\u201d:<\/p>\n\n

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