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Elliott’s Keep (USA)- Vulnerant Omnes - Reviewed By Soundmagnet! Friday November 11 2022, 5:07 PM

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Elliott’s Keep (USA)- Vulnerant Omnes - Reviewed By Soundmagnet ! Check it out here at this link: https://www.soundmagnet.eu/elliotts-keep-vulnerant-omnes-album-review/

Elliott's Keep have come a long and rocky road. They started out in Dallas in the early 1990s as a quartet under their former name Marauder . Life gets rough at times, as then-frontman Glenn Elliott tragically died in 2004. His death almost meant the end for the band.

But the love for hard and heavy music allowed the remaining trio to be re-formed in 2006. As a tribute to the deceased comrade-in-arms, the name was changed to Elliott's Keep . The debut under the new names was called In Medias Res and was released in 2008. Sine Qua Non followed two years later , which, like the first album, was released on the Brainticket label . That gives us a clear indication of the musical direction in which the trio is marching. Said Brainticket label was created by John Perez , guitarist and founding member of Solitude Aeturnus . Over the years Elliott's Keepremained active and with Vulnerant Omnes their fifth album is in the starting blocks.
Traditional with breaks

The band's sound is very difficult to pigeonhole. At its simplest, it could be described as traditional Death Doom without the growls. The vocals never start gurgling, but steer epic breadth into the dark stories, especially in the first part of the album. Here we are with the lyrics. The opener Aevum deals with existing ideas about life after death.

If you search for the meaning of Aevum , you will come across complex medieval theological and philosophical treatises on eternal time or the temporal existence of angels and saints in the kingdom of heaven. The following Vanguard Of Despair also deals with Christian ideas about fate, despair and apocalypse . The mid-tempo stomper is crammed with breaks, good for headbanging, but difficult to get an overall picture of.
Two coins slip out of your hand

In my opinion, Laughter Of The Gods is the best and most coherent song on the album. It starts with the catchy riff, continues with the varied vocal performance and closes the circle to the medieval, downright nihilistic story.

It tells the story of a man who tries to stay alive in times of plague. However, prayers, caution and faith are not enough to continue life. As he lies stacked on the corpse cart with other dying people, the two coins he had retained for the last ferryman also slipped out of his grasp. He considered everything and planned everything for his salvation. But devastatingly it says: The man plans and the gods laugh . What did they order? No one gets out of here alive . A story and the prospects for one's own fate cannot be darker and gloomier. You can listen to the bitter lyrics, framed with the best Doom, HERE .

The blackness of the sky and the emotions don't let up at Every Hour either. The song is a tough, traditional doomer that explores the concept of pain and suffering in life.
At any price and to the point of blood

With Omnis Pretium and Et Sanguinem the ingredients of the record change. Both pieces tell a coherent medieval story about the siege of a fortress and are also reflected in the cover artwork. After a hard, deprived defensive struggle, the protagonist finally lies fatally injured in the last remaining part of the castle. In the face of death he ponders the meaning of life and his legacy. Et Sanguinem 's slow, doomy ending symbolizes death to come. Both songs are interspersed with numerous breaks and tempo changes. Especially with Omnis Pretium , the accelerator pedal is also used in between fights. You could put the titles togetherTranslate Omnis Pretium and Et Sanguinem as at any cost and with blood .

I have already described the tragic fate of Glenn Elliott above. His death still casts palpable and audible shadows on the music, lyrics and understanding of the band today. Elliott's Keep is a tribute to the lost friend. The tribute is rounded off with a cover version of the Marauder song White Wolf . The band covers themselves, so to speak, and incorporated parts of an old live recording from 1995 with Glenn's vocals as second vocals into White Wolf .

Musically, it's the fastest and perhaps most atypical song on the album. The band oscillates between doomy passages, stomping aggression and raging passages. A cleansing piece for the trio. You wrote it out of love for Glenn and as a way of coming to terms with your own past. We can all be a part of it because Vulnerant Omnes will be released on vinyl this month, as is traditional of course.

Conclusion
Elliott's Keep have written a dark piece of doom with Vulnerant Omnes . The songs, which are enriched by many breaks, are initially illuminated by epic vocals, but as the album progresses they result in heaviness and darkness in terms of content. It's a celebration for traditional doomers, but this sky is too gloomy for normal metalheads. 7/10 - Soundmagnet

Release Date: August 19, 2022

FFO: Solitude Aeturnus, Wheel, While Heaven Wept

Location: Dallas, Texas

Short Bio: In the 1990’s, the members of Elliott’s Keep were in a predecessor Dallas, Texas band named Marauder , along with vocalist Glenn Elliott. When Glenn died tragically in 2004, the remaining members reformed as a three-piece band in 2006 with the new name to honor Glenn. Elliott’s Keep debuted with the album In Medias Res in 2008. Sine Qua Non followed in 2010. Both were released on the Brainticket label founded by John Perez of Solitude Aeturnus. Nascentes Morimur was released in 2013 and Lacrimae Mundi followed in 2017. Elliott’s Keep now returns with their 5th full-length album, Vulnerant Omnes . This release will be the first available on vinyl through NoSlip Records .

Check them out on YouTube!