LP REVIEW - Elyzium - Adiah Michelle

With alternative and classic rock roots, Broke In China brings us their new epic and explosive anthem, “Elyzium.” Due to their powerful synths, strong drums, and big vocals, each track drags you in and holds on tight.

The opening one, two punch of ‘Dragon’ and ‘Burn’ perfectly expresses the sound this band was looking to obtain. The two bring a potent feel to the album with off-the-batt high-energy, and hard-hitting tracks. Both are a moody and compelling introduction to the LP released last year. ‘Dragon’ has an impressive backbone that makes you want to slam your fucking head against the wall; paired with screamy-lyrics, the track is fantastic. “The record took several months to record [and perfect],” the group wrote, “We’ve been playing the songs for a while, so recording them was an easy task.”

After being a single for nearly five months, ‘Own Enemy’ showed up on “Elyzium.” The song is one of my favorites, I was quick to add it to my personal playlist. The badass guitar solos and bass lines were some of the final things that sold the song for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC5QXOINatI

The 6th track – ‘Broken Doll’ – is more stripped back. It also tells the tale of a crushed and lonely girl who ultimately heads “towards that tree” to take her own life. After being through overwhelming events, the girl is entirely brought down. The lyrics read, “So many things have been thrown at her/ Her skin is thin/ Everyday’s a blur/ There’s one escape/ She head towards the tree.” Behind Johnny’s strident vocals, the instrumentation builds on a bed of rhythm guitar crunch.

‘I Am Normal’ is beyond extraordinary; their hard-hitting roots shine through here. The song embodies their edgy, pop-rock feel. While containing brilliant guitar solos, the track has a bit of a keen sense to it.

The album ends with ‘Granden of Dreams’ as the collection reaches a sort of delicate feel once more. It has backing vocals giving to that innocence and beauty of the track. However, that ‘innocence’ only lasts so long before we return to their rich, punk-infused feel. ‘Garden of Dreams’ is essentially an alternate universe – a world without pain and insecurities. It shows a whole new side to the band and exhibits their talent.

“We are currently in the studio recording our next album, this time as a four-piece. Incorporating different styles and sounding like a completely different band. We are also planning and recording a music video soon for said next album,” they wrote.

I can’t wait to see what comes next from them. Overall, the album was bleeding of sheer talent, excellent synths, and appealing vocals.