Review By Tony Cannella

Label : Lion Music

 Eli is the new Gothic/Symphonic/Progressive Metal project featuring Italian vocalist extraordinaire Elisa Pezzuto - who also happens to be the new singer for Italian progressive metallers Ivory Moon. We'll have to wait a little bit for the new Ivory Moon disc (I assume they are working on it), but this CD by Eli titled "Darkness Will Fall" should do more than hold us over. Joining Elisa in Eli are a couple of very formidable musicians: Lars Eric Mattson (Guitar, Bass & Keyboards) and Eddie Sledgehammer on drums. The CD is out on Lion Music which is fast becoming one of the best metal labels on the planet in terms of quality music. Eli's "Darkness Will Fall" is certainly a worthy addition to the Lion catalog.

The orchestration of "To Slowly Fade Away" starts things off and the song is a great mix of orchestral arrangements, choir-like background vocals and some heavy, crunchy guitar. The is really complex and it sets a very positive tone for what is to follow. "Turn This World Around" starts off slow and with the help of some violin the track creates a somber, melancholic tone, before really picking up on the chorus. The vocals of Elisa are especially impressive on this one and this is probably my favorite track. More orchestration is featured here but the emphasis is on the guitars and drums. Other highlights that can be found among the 9-songs and 46-minutes worth of music are: "Welcome To My Dream World", "For Mother Earth", "Leave Me Here" (this is another favorite, it has a 70's prog-like feel to it), the emotional ballad "My Emptiness" and the CD's closer "Wondrous Stories". The vocals of Elisa Pezzuto have a charming, understated quality to them. She's not operatic and her style is the over-the-top, her approach fits right in there with music and it doesn't overshadow anything, the vocals and the music compliment each other perfectly and that is one of the best qualities of "Darkness Will Fall".

The music on "Darkness Will Fall" is quite impressive, but with the quality of the musicians on this disc, that should come as no surprise. Listening to the songs and talent that Elisa Pezzuto exhibits, it is obvious that Ivory Moon made a solid choice in tapping her as their new vocalist. That is in the future, but for now Eli has released a great and classy collection of songs. I'm not sure what the future holds for Eli, with Elisa Pezzuto fronting Ivory Moon and with Lars Eric Mattson's many responsibilities with his other bands, but let's hope that we hear some more music from them in the future.

Rating: 9.0/10

Tracklist :

1. To Slowly Fade Away
   
2. Turn This World Around
   
3. Welcome to My Dream World
   
4. Back to Your Grace
   
5. For Mother Earth
   
6. Leave Me Here
   
7. My Emptiness
   
8. Darkness Will Fall
   
9. Wondrous Stories

Line Up :

• Elisa Pezzuto - Vocals
  
• Lars Eric Mattson - Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
  
• Eddie Sledgehammer - Drums

Links : 

Eli Official MySpace

Elisa Pezzuto Personal MySpace