Enshine â Elevation Review
By Steel Druhm
Back in 2004, an album called Fallout dropped from an unheralded little band called Slumber. It was a lush, gorgeous piece of melodic doom in the vein of early Katatonia, Rapture, and Insomnium, and there was something very special about the moods created within. It remains a beloved album of Yours Steely, and I often wonder why it isnât better known. Slumber guitarist/songwriter Jari Lindholm would go on to start Enshine, and their Origin and Singulariuty albums took the Slumber aesthetic forward to new soundscapes. Singularity was my Album oâ the Year in 2015, and I still get dragged into its glorious depths at regular intervals. Itâs been a long wait for a new Enshine opus as Jari puttered with his ExGenesis and self-titled projects, but word broke in December that a new Enshine was imminent. Elevation was dropped without much fanfare or advanced promo campaigns, so we had to get our greasy mitts on it the same way the filthy masses do. As with past Enshine efforts, Elevation finds Jari Lindholm teamed with SĂ©bastien Pierre, and their classic sound is present, still sitting somewhere between melodoom and melancholic melodeath, and naturally, itâs beautifully rendered. But can it maintain the same high level as the earlier works?
Opener âShimmeringâ suggests it can as youâre greeted by the expected cavalcade of opulent trilling leads with melancholic flourishes. Everything is highly polished and bright as the sun, with guitar and keyboards rising and swelling in melodic waves. The music reminds me of modern Insomnium and the mellower moments on Omnium Gatherumâs New World Shadows. SĂ©bastien Pierre provides effective death metal roars that suit the music, and the pieces all fit together well. Itâs not the best thing Enshineâs ever done, but itâs pretty damn good. It soon becomes apparent, however, that the opener is one of the most lively tracks on offer. âHeartblissâ has harsher vocals, but theyâre wrapped up in a glossy pancake of airy, ethereal melodoom without much in the way of an actual âdoomâ component to ground things and provide real impact. Jariâs guitar work is ephemeral, stunning, and I could listen to it for days, but the song itself doesnât stick in my memory. I enjoy it as it floats past, but cannot recall it thereafter. âWhere the Sunrise is Feltâ self-corrects, providing a beefier riffing foundation, and SĂ©bastien sounds extra spicy here. You still get a deluge of ethereal noodling to float upon, but itâs balanced by some beef, and that makes a difference.
Just as things seem to be moving in the right direction, âDistant Glowâ hits with 4 minutes of bright, sugar-coated synthwave devoid of vocals or the slightest edge. Itâs moody but dull, and it derails the energy Elevation was beginning to establish. Around this point, it dawned on me that the album is something they could play at a new age spa without disrupting the tranquility or displacing anyoneâs chakra. I suppose thereâs a place for âspa-metal,â but not on my goddamn property. The remainder of Elevation is loaded with languid, lustrous melodoom with the emphasis on the melo part. Iâm reminded of Omnium Gatherum and later era Anathema, and the ravishing sounds are omnipresent, but itâs often sleepy and overly restrained. Here and there, SĂ©bastien or Jari lapses into a whispered delivery, and that choice sums up Elevation as well as anything: itâs dialed-back music designed to avoid any emotion beyond a sullen glaze-over. Itâs gorgeous but without real peaks and valleys or much in the way of dramatic impact. Without memorable individual moments, it becomes too easy to lose focus while listening, and the music very quickly slips into the background. Not only does the material tend to sit in the back row of your attention, but the songs tend to bleed together into an ornate, noodly mush. Lovely but unmemorable.
Iâm a huge fan of Jari Lindholmâs guitar work, and his brilliance is on display all over Elevation. He has a unique ability to craft such gorgeous and moody guitar lines and layer them in a way that generates a fog of emotion. While his talents are in force here, the end result is less immediate and dynamic than on past works. Thereâs no shortage of sumptuous leads and delicate solos, but the overall effect is too often lethargy rather than emotional pangs and pulses. A lot of Elevation simply washes over and past me without activating my memory circuits. Jari and SĂ©bastien share vocals, and though SĂ©bastienâs death roars are good, they donât add as much pop to the material as they could. SĂ©bastien also handles keyboards, and at times his playing becomes a touch cloying and even cheesy. Ultimately, I spend too much time waiting for Jari and/or SĂ©bastien to go harder and provide more oomph to the proceedings, but they rarely do.
Elevation is a gorgeous listen, but there arenât many songs that I recall once the album ends. Itâs a worthwhile listen, and I doubt Enshine could make a bad album, but this really makes me want to spin Singularity or Origin instead. Thatâs a big bummer for me, and I hope your melo mileage varies. Now go find that Slumber album and learn!
Rating: 3.0/5.01
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: enshine.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/enshine.band
Releases Worldwide: January 3rd, 2026
Maddog
I canât overstate Enshineâs impact on my music taste. As a teen, I enjoyed melodic death metal, but struggled with the genreâs doomier acts. One day, I stumbled upon Enshineâs 2013 debut Origin. Having never heard of Jari Lindholmâs landmark band Slumber, I came in with few expectations. Eschewing the nondescript riffs that I had come to expect from doom, Origin captivated me with its creative melodies, gigantic climaxes, and synth-laced atmosphere. Most importantly, it brought tears to my eyes. Singularity followed suit in 2015, dragging slightly but hitting hard nonetheless. While Lindholm has released other albums via Exgenesis and his solo work in the interim, Elevation breaks a decade-long silence for Enshine. While it canât match my first wide-eyed listen through Origin, Elevation is a worthy companion to a sorrowful night.
Enshine has always made every instrument count. Rather than fading into the background, Giannis Koskinasâ (Ocean of Grief) bass steals the show with lively lead melodies (âThe Momentâ). Conversely, on tracks like âWhere the Sunrise Is Felt,â the rhythm section supplies a simple but hefty backbone to steer the song along. SĂ©bastien Pierreâs keyboard is as active as ever, providing both center-stage melodies and a canvas for the other instruments. Itâs remarkable how well this works; indeed, the key-heavy instrumental âDistant Glowâ is one of Elevationâs most haunting cuts. Pierre and Lindholmâs vocals are unremarkable but get the job done, and the vocal lines are perfectly timed to accentuate the albumâs peaks. Of course, while each of these pieces is compelling, Elevationâs guitars are a masterclass. Serving up huge Insomnium riffs, tear-jerking melodies, and minimalist interludes, Lindholmâs guitar work is varied but consistently impressive. Rounded out by a rich tone, Elevation is a full-blown sonic tapestry.
Elevation by Enshine
Enshineâs best work excels in both its climaxes and the journeys between them. Enshineâs riffs are more enormous than ever, with âThe Purity of Emptinessâ showcasing some pounding specimens. The rhythm section accentuates this riffwork like a thundering heartbeat. Elevationâs melodic peaks are just as lofty, and an explosive guitar solo makes the opener âShimmeringâ an early contender for song of the year. As always, Enshine knows when and how to dial it back. For instance, the opening melody of âHeartblissâ serves as a serene counterpoint to the songâs beefier moments, while the closer âReigniteâ relieves tension through its sparse midsection. While Elevation often flits masterfully between these extremes, it sometimes fizzles out. The aforementioned âHeartblissâ and âReignite,â the two longest tracks, both spend their last few minutes in forgettable melodic ramblings. More generally, the albumâs back half often settles into a neutral middle ground that neither excites nor calms. Elevation sometimes loses its footing, but most of its runtime is a dexterous volley between aggression and tranquility.
Accordingly, Elevation packs a powerful but inconsistent emotional punch. The most conventional source is the albumâs soaring melodies, like those on âShimmering.â But Enshineâs heart often hides in unlikely spots. âThe Momentâ hypnotizes the listener with a simple guitar riff, transmutes it into a tragic behemoth, and culminates in rhythmic repetition that evokes Cult of Luna. The key-driven âDistant Glowâ remains the albumâs most unlikely triumph. By rooting itself in one bittersweet melodic motif, âDistant Glowâ evolves seamlessly from a chamomile-infused Infected Mushroom trance to punchy melodeath riffs. The result is a four-minute track that feels like a lifetime, in the best possible way. In contrast, parts of Elevation feel clinical. Songs like âThe Purity of Emptinessâ rely on interchangeable mid-paced riffs that fade from memory, and even stronger tracks fall into the same age-old trap (âWhere the Sunrise Is Feltâ). Enshine hasnât lost their secret sauce, but they have diluted it.
But even more so than usual, Iâm an unreliable narrator trapped in the tiniest of prisons. My twelve years with Enshine both paint and taint my perspective. So yes, âReigniteâ is Enshineâs worst closer; but thatâs because I remember the months I leaned on âApexâ and the friendship I strengthened with âConstellation.â And yes, Elevation sometimes gets lost in meandering riffs; but that sticks out because Origin is the pinnacle of concise melodeath-doom. Enshineâs former glory offers a convenient template for critiquing its follow-ups. In truth, Elevation is an enchanting release from a band that Iâd feared would never return. Whether youâre an Enshine addict, a curious first-timer, or even a non-metalhead, Elevation demands and earns your attention.
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Rating: 3.5/5.02
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