ELEGY – Principles Of Pain

Already veterans of the game, Elegy continues to deliver records, though only bass player Martin Helmantel is the only original member left. For the first time, Elegy releases a CD without any input from the guitar player whose name I might mention more than anyone else in this review; Henk v/d Laars. Henk always was the creative force behind the band, I think I can say that without stepping too hard on Ian Parry’s toes, and his playing and writing style made Elegy a unique band among the prog/power/speed movement in the early nineties. The last record, “Forbidden Fruit”, which I liked a lot, welcomed French axe hero Patrick Rondat to the band, but a couple of Henk’s songs and ideas were still present. Now Henk was, and still is – wherever he is, a very talented and gifted guitar player. Patrick is also that, but Henk is one of a kind. Patrick can do anything with a guitar, but with Henk you could easily hear who did it, if you understand what I’m trying to say. The same thing can be said about the songs Henk wrote, you could hear who wrote them.

Now there’s nothing wrong with today’s Elegy. They still come up with decent songs and the deliverance is nothing but stunning. The problem however, is that the band doesn’t sound like Elegy to the same extent as before. Ian Parry is easy recognizable, but then again, he’s not the original singer. If someone gave me this CD and said that it was the new Ian Parry’s Consortium Project, I would have believed him. There’s no way I could have bet my money and said; no way, this is the new Elegy record. And that’s maybe the core of my little frustration. Ian Parry’s bands or projects sound too much the same.

The songs are maybe a bit darker than on “…Fruit”, with “Pilgrim’s Parade” being the one that reminds me a little of the happier up-tempo stuff Henk delivered, also the only song that is stuck in your mind after the first listen. To conclude: I can not and will not say that “Principles Of Pain” is a weak album, it just isn’t the Elegy I am used to with Henk (there he is again), and I might need a little more time to get used to the situation. I will however not miss the band’s performance at this year’s Rock Machina festival, which you hopefully will be able to read everything about here at Metal Express Radio if only our dear webmaster, Mr. Pussy-whipped, can get some time away from his girlfriend…