Elis (band)
Encyclopedia
Elis is a gothic metal
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...

 band from Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...

, formed by Sabine Dünser
Sabine Dünser
Sabine Michaela Dünser grew up in Schaan with her family, consisting of her parents and her younger sister Petra. Her musical talent was discovered at an early age. She started with basic listening skills. Four years later in practice flute...

 and Pete Streit in 2003 after the split of Erben der Schöpfung
Erben der Schöpfung
Erben der Schöpfung is a dark-gothic-metal/EBM band from Liechtenstein, founded in 1998/99 by Oliver Falk.-History:...

 in 2002.

God's Silence, Devil's Temptation

Elis began their musical career under the name 'Erben der Schöpfung
Erben der Schöpfung
Erben der Schöpfung is a dark-gothic-metal/EBM band from Liechtenstein, founded in 1998/99 by Oliver Falk.-History:...

' in 2000. In 2001, they released their first single "Elis
Elis (song)
"Elis" is a song composed by the Electro-Gothic metal band Erben der Schöpfung, from his 2001 debut album Twilight.-Tracklist:#Elis - 5:53#Elis - 5:53#Elis - 5:47#Elis - 6:09-Release:...

" as well as their debut album Twilight
Twilight (Erben der Schöpfung album)
-Prelude:"Twilight" turned out to be an Electro, Gothic metal album with classical female vocals. Lyricwise Erben Der Schöpfung concentrated on topics as death and ageing...

. The band has appeared live at the Wave Gotik Festival in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...

, among others, has held on to favorable positioning on the DAC-Charts, and has remained well represented in the scene's press. Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

's Orkus Magazine, for example, featured Erben der Schöpfung as their top newcomer act of the month. This choice was later more than confirmed by the publications readership, who extended the honor by choosing the band as their newcomer of 2001.

Following their split with Oliver Falk, the band re-emerged in 2003 under the new alias Elis (taken from the single/song by their former band). Produced at Mastersound Studio by Alexander Krull
Alexander Krull
Alexander Krull is the lead vocalist for the German metal band Atrocity, as well as a backing-vocals in the band Leaves' Eyes.- Biography :...

 (Atrocity
Atrocity (band)
Atrocity is a German Heavy Metal band formed in Ludwigsburg.-History:First started in 1985 as Instigators and playing grindcore, Atrocity arose as a death metal band with their debut EP, Blue Blood, in 1989, followed soon by Hallucinations, a concept album about drug use...

, Leaves' Eyes
Leaves' Eyes
Leaves' Eyes is a German-Norwegian symphonic metal band from Stavanger, Norway and Ludwigsburg, Germany. They were formed in 2003 by Liv Kristine, the former lead singer of Theatre of Tragedy and the entire line-up of Atrocity...

), God's Silence, Devil's Temptation
God's Silence, Devil's Temptation
God's Silence, Devil's Temptation is the debut album by the gothic metal band Elis.-Track listing:...

was simultaneously released on Napalm Records
Napalm Records
Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock.Originally, Napalm Records focused mainly on black metal acts such as Abigor and Summoning and folk metal bands such as Falkenbach and Vintersorg....

 with the re-release of Erben der Schöpfung's 2001 debut, Twilight.

Soon after the release of God's Silence, Devil's Temptation, Elis focused their energy on writing new material for their second offering. Between their song writing and recording duties, they found time to tour in a headlining capacity with label mates Eisheilig and The Vision Bleak
The Vision Bleak
The Vision Bleak is a gothic metal band from Germany formed in 2000, consisting of former Empyrium member Ulf Theodor Schwadorf and former Nox Mortis member Allen B Konstanz. The band's themes are most notably orientated towards horror....

. The tour took them to Germany, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

. 'God's Silence, Devil's Temptation' was inspired by the works of Trakl and drawing on the experience gained with Erben Der Schopfung, the newly created formation recorded immediately full-length album 'God's Silence, Devil's Temptation'. In January 2004, the disc 'God's Silence, Devil's Temptation' was # 1 in the charts at The Gothicworld.de. The same success has made the single 'For Such A Long Time'.

Dark Clouds in a Perfect Sky

In March 2004 they returned to the studio, under the guidance of band manager and producer Alexander Krull once more, to record the twelve new tracks featured on their second album. Released in October 2004, Dark Clouds in a Perfect Sky
Dark Clouds in a Perfect Sky
Dark Clouds in a Perfect Sky is the second album by Elis, released in 2004 by Napalm Records. The track Der Letzte Tag was released as a single, and a videoclip was created for it.-Track listing:...

, showed a maturation of the band's sound. A video clip for the album's opener, "Der Letzte Tag" (translated to: The Last Day), was included with the release as well. The second CD 'Dark Clouds in a Perfect Sky' caused obvious association with the best works of Within Temptation or The Gathering.

The Dark Clouds tour took place in April 2005. Elis played in Germany, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

 and Belgium, and were supported by Visions of Atlantis
Visions of Atlantis
Visions of Atlantis is a symphonic power metal band from Styria, Austria, founded in 2000. The original line-up consisted of Werner Fiedler , Mike Koren , Christian Stani , Chris Kamper , Nicole Bogner and Thomas Caser...

 and Lyriel
Lyriel
Lyriel are a German Folk metal band who formed in autumn of 2003 in Gummersbach.-History:The band's lineup remained unchanged since their formation until 2008...

. The band offered a preview of the new material during festival performances at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen and M'era Luna Festival
M'era Luna Festival
The M'era Luna is a festival of goth, metal and industrial music. It is held annually on the second weekend of every August, in Hildesheim, Germanyat Flugplatz Hildesheim-Drispenstedt, a former British Army airbase....

. Further opportunities for the fans to experience the new album live were planned for October, as the band embarked on a European Tour with Atrocity, Leaves' Eyes, and Battlelore
Battlelore
Battlelore is a metal band from Lappeenranta, Finland. All of Battlelore's lyrics concern J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.-Style:Battlelore mixes female vocals with harsh male growling in "beauty and the beast" duet, backed by heavy guitar riffing and occasional keyboard interludes. The band's...

. This tour ended with a performance at the Metal Female Voices Fest
Metal Female Voices Fest
Metal Female Voices Fest is a heavy metal music festival held annually in Belgium since 2003. It is organized by the Metal Organisation agency. The seventh edition took place at Oktoberhallen in Wieze in the municipality of Lebbeke on October 17 and October 18, 2009.-October 22:*Doro* Leaves' Eyes*...

 3. This concert wasn't just the last of this little tour, it also was the last concert with guitarist Jürgen "BigJ" Broger, who left the band amicably soon after. Elis also appeared on a television show on German television, and video appeared in the program of 'Hell's Kitchen' channel Viva!

Griefshire and death of Sabine Dünser

The third release from Elis, a concept album titled Griefshire
Griefshire
Griefshire is the third album by the gothic metal band Elis. It's their first concept album, and the last before Sabine Dünser's death. Because Sabine Dünser was the creator of the concept of Griefshire and the main songwriter of the songs on it, the other members decided, after her death, to...

was planned for release in late 2006 or early 2007. The band wanted to complete a tour with Leaves' Eyes
Leaves' Eyes
Leaves' Eyes is a German-Norwegian symphonic metal band from Stavanger, Norway and Ludwigsburg, Germany. They were formed in 2003 by Liv Kristine, the former lead singer of Theatre of Tragedy and the entire line-up of Atrocity...

 and Atrocity
Atrocity (band)
Atrocity is a German Heavy Metal band formed in Ludwigsburg.-History:First started in 1985 as Instigators and playing grindcore, Atrocity arose as a death metal band with their debut EP, Blue Blood, in 1989, followed soon by Hallucinations, a concept album about drug use...

, but unfortunately on July 8, 2006 Sabine died of a cerebral hemorrhage. An announcement on the band's official website a day later stated that the album Griefshire would be released in Sabine's memory. A further announcement in September announced that the band would continue with a new singer.

Griefshire and new female singer

Griefshire was released in Europe on November 24, 2006 on Napalm Records. The North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

n release date was January 16, 2007. On December 28, 2006 it was finally announced that the new female singer is the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 singer Sandra Schleret
Sandra Schleret
Sandra Schleret , is the lead singer of the German band Siegfried and the former lead singer of Lichtenstein based Gothic metal band Elis post-Sabine Dünser's death.-Biography:...

, former vocalist of Dreams of Sanity
Dreams of Sanity
Dreams of Sanity was a gothic metal band from Austria. Founded in 1991, they released three full-length albums, before disbanding in 2002. Many of their songs are about Buddha...

 and Siegfried
Siegfried (band)
Siegfried is an Heavy metal band from Austria that was founded in 1998 by Bruder Cle, aka Hagen, who was later joined by Daniel Bachmaier , aka Ortwin, and former Dreams of Sanity singer Sandra Schleret. In 2000 they released a demo cd called Fafnir. Later in 2000 they were signed to Napalm...

, and guest singer on some Samael
Samael (band)
Samael is a industrial black metal band formed in 1987 in Sion, Switzerland.-Biography:Although much of their music from the mid-1990s onwards has incorporated electronic sounds which would best define their genre as industrial metal, they are an early 2nd Wave black metal band and an innovator for...

 albums.

After that, they started a tour that took them for the first time to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 (as guest stars for the Festival Oscuro event in August 2007).

In order to show how Sandra's voice would appear on the next studio album, the band released the MCD Show Me The Way, on November 2, 2007 in Europe and on November 6, 2007 in the U.S., that features Sandra Schleret
Sandra Schleret
Sandra Schleret , is the lead singer of the German band Siegfried and the former lead singer of Lichtenstein based Gothic metal band Elis post-Sabine Dünser's death.-Biography:...

 on the two new versions of the song "Show Me the Way" as well as three non-album tracks from Grieshire's recording sessions, still with Sabine Dünser
Sabine Dünser
Sabine Michaela Dünser grew up in Schaan with her family, consisting of her parents and her younger sister Petra. Her musical talent was discovered at an early age. She started with basic listening skills. Four years later in practice flute...

's voice. November 2, 2007 on the label Napalm Records released a new single of 'Show Me the Way'.

Catharsis and onward

In early 2008, the band posted on their official bandsite that they would be working on their 4th studio album that year. In September 2008 they went to a German Mastersound studio with producer Alex Krull with a new vocalist and recorded participated a song for the album with Michelle Darkness (End Of Green
End of Green (band)
End Of Green is a German band formed in Stuttgart in 1992. According to singer Michael Huber, the band name means by the end of the color green symbolized hope. This fits with the type of music the band produces. The band describes its style as Depressed Subcore...

). The band performed a few live shows before entering the studio to record the new album. On November 22, 2008, it was announced that the name of the new album would be Catharsis, a title dear to Sandra Schleret due to the illnesses she went through shortly before joining Elis.

Catharsis
Catharsis (Elis album)
Catharsis is the fourth album by Elis, released on 27 November 2009 by Napalm Records. It is the first and only album with Sandra Schleret as their new lead singer after Sabine Dünser's demise; the band released in early 2007 the MCD "Show Me The Way".- Reception :After the sudden death of Elis'...

was released on November 27, 2009 by Napalm Records. Critics for the release were from mixed to positive.

Departure of Sandra Schleret

On June 12, 2011, the Elis web site announced that Sandra Schleret had made a decision to leave the band. The following day, the band posted that the remaining members "agreed to give it one more try, but with a fresh start."

Style

Elis' music style is a very particular one in gothic metal. The influences of their sound come from both symphonic metal
Symphonic metal
Symphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that are either borrowed from classical music or, as with progressive rock music, create a style reminiscent of it, e.g...

 and doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...

, as clearly defined on their releases: the songs include most of the times an orchestral part and death grunts at the same time, making it hard to identify the band's true genre.

The lyrics are another important element of Elis' music. Differently from many other gothic metal bands, whose lyrics are heavily influenced by literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...

, love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...

 and death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....

, Elis' lyrics are mainly taken from life and experiences, as well as childhood (specially on the Griefshire
Griefshire
Griefshire is the third album by the gothic metal band Elis. It's their first concept album, and the last before Sabine Dünser's death. Because Sabine Dünser was the creator of the concept of Griefshire and the main songwriter of the songs on it, the other members decided, after her death, to...

 album). Most of the song's lyrics are written in English, with two or three songs in German per full-length album and, before Sabine Dünser
Sabine Dünser
Sabine Michaela Dünser grew up in Schaan with her family, consisting of her parents and her younger sister Petra. Her musical talent was discovered at an early age. She started with basic listening skills. Four years later in practice flute...

's death, she was the main songwriter of them. The only exceptions are (so far) Heaven and Hell, a Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...

 cover; I Come Undone, a Jennifer Rush
Jennifer Rush
Jennifer Rush is an American/German-based pop/rock singer, best known for the million-selling single "The Power of Love", which she co-wrote and which went on to be covered by Laura Branigan and Celine Dion.-Career:...

 cover; and Ballade and In Einem Verlassenen Zimmer, whose lyrics are entirely taken from poems of the same (respective) names by Austrian
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....

 poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 Georg Trakl
Georg Trakl
Georg Trakl was an Austrian poet. He is considered one of the most important Austrian Expressionists.- Life and work :Trakl was born and lived the first 18 years of his life in Salzburg, Austria...

.

Current members

  • Pete Streit – guitar
    Electric guitar
    An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...

     (Since 2003)
  • Chris Gruber – guitar (Since 2005)
  • Tom Saxer – bass guitar
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

    , death growl
    Death growl
    A death growl, also known as death metal vocals, guttural vocals, death grunts, and harsh vocals among other names, is a vocalisation style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal and black metal music genre, but also used in a variety of heavy metal and hardcore punk subgenres.Death...

    s (Since 2003)
  • Max Naescher – drums
    Drum kit
    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

     (Since 2004)
  • Simone Christinat - vocals (Since 2011)


Touring member
  • Trevor - Drums (Since 2009)

Former members

  • Sabine Dünser
    Sabine Dünser
    Sabine Michaela Dünser grew up in Schaan with her family, consisting of her parents and her younger sister Petra. Her musical talent was discovered at an early age. She started with basic listening skills. Four years later in practice flute...

     – vocals (2003–2006)
  • Sandra Schleret
    Sandra Schleret
    Sandra Schleret , is the lead singer of the German band Siegfried and the former lead singer of Lichtenstein based Gothic metal band Elis post-Sabine Dünser's death.-Biography:...

     – vocals
    Singing
    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

     (2006–2011)
  • Franco "Franky" Koller - drums (2003–2004)
  • René Marxer – drums (2004)
  • Jürgen "Big J" Broger – guitar (2003–2005)

Studio albums

  • God's Silence, Devil's Temptation
    God's Silence, Devil's Temptation
    God's Silence, Devil's Temptation is the debut album by the gothic metal band Elis.-Track listing:...

    (2003)
  • Dark Clouds in a Perfect Sky
    Dark Clouds in a Perfect Sky
    Dark Clouds in a Perfect Sky is the second album by Elis, released in 2004 by Napalm Records. The track Der Letzte Tag was released as a single, and a videoclip was created for it.-Track listing:...

    (2004)
  • Griefshire
    Griefshire
    Griefshire is the third album by the gothic metal band Elis. It's their first concept album, and the last before Sabine Dünser's death. Because Sabine Dünser was the creator of the concept of Griefshire and the main songwriter of the songs on it, the other members decided, after her death, to...

    (2006)
  • Catharsis
    Catharsis (Elis album)
    Catharsis is the fourth album by Elis, released on 27 November 2009 by Napalm Records. It is the first and only album with Sandra Schleret as their new lead singer after Sabine Dünser's demise; the band released in early 2007 the MCD "Show Me The Way".- Reception :After the sudden death of Elis'...

    (2009)

Singles

  • "For Such a Long Time" (2003)
  • "Der Letzte Tag" (2004)
  • "Show Me the Way" (2007)

External links

  • Official website
  • Elis at Napalm Records
    Napalm Records
    Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock.Originally, Napalm Records focused mainly on black metal acts such as Abigor and Summoning and folk metal bands such as Falkenbach and Vintersorg....

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