Griefshire

Since its first announcement, it could be foretold that "Griefshire" would bring a change for the band. It would be their first concept album, coming out from Sabine Dünser's highly-creative head. Unfortunately, the change was too much darker and irreversible for the band, with a high price to pay: Sabine Dünser died before it was finished, and for a couple of days, the fans feared that the album would not be released. But good news came to take the dark "funeral" clouds away: "Griefshire" was going to be released, and it would be dedicated to Sabine, who actually used to call the album (according to the band members) "her baby".

Due to its dedication, the atmosphere of the album is heavily dark every moment in every song. Even the slow ballads of the album are possessed by the sadness of Sabine Dünser's death. And this is perfect if we remember that it's a gothic metal album, and not and ordinary one: a gothic metal album with a difficult concept and difficult lyrics, too.

The concept of the two brothers may have been difficult for Sabine to create and structure, even if we consider that she used to be one of the most skilled songwriters of the topic. This can be noticed during the album, because there are many songs where the concept can't be detected, although it's always there.

The album includes two songs in Elis' native language, German: "Die Stadt" and "Seit dem Anbeginn Der Zeit". They are both essential parts of the concept, and two of the darkest song of the album. Also, "Seit dem Anbeginn Der Zeit" is the longest song of the album.

There are some songs that must be mentioned, because they are the best ones and some of the most involved with the concept. The first one is "Phoenix from the Ashes", the tale of the brother's rising. It's not only one of the most interesting songs; it's the best song of the entire album. "The Burning", maybe the most aggressive element of the album, is also another outstanding song. "How Long", "Show Me he Way", "Brothers", "Remember the Promise" and "Tales of Heaven and Hell" complete the list.
There is also another song that must be "stressed" because it's the slowest and the most symphonic element of the album: "Forgotten Love". It includes a violin played by Judith Biedermann and a piano, and fits very well with the other metal songs due to its heavily-sad atmosphere.

Definitely, this album is over everything that Elis had done before it, it's more mature and more solid, and it has won his place as one of the best gothic metal albums. However, it's depressive to remember that Sabine didn't live enough to see "her baby" bloom and claim his position in the metal genre of all time.