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After ten long orbits of the Earth around the Sun, Hyperion has finally returned. Back in 2016, Seraphical Euphony<\/a> made waves for its exceptional Dissection of Emperor, earning all but the highest honor here at AMG. Whether the test of time has deemed this an overrating, one thing is undeniable: Hyperion\u2019s debut doesn\u2019t shrink under the shadow of its mighty influences, offering melodic black metal uniquely ferocious, grandiose, and beautiful. With much hype, Elysia arrives, along with some new faces; Joel Hagroth (guitars) and Mauritz Flodin (drums\/orchestrations) join Erik Molnar, Mikael Malm (guitars), Harry Laura\u00e9us (vocals), and Raul Vincente (bass). Seraphical Euphony is an epic record, but its follow-up is epic, clocking in at a whopping 74 minutes. With great runtimes comes great responsibility\u2014we shall see if Elysia conscientiously wields its extra twenty minutes and lives up to the Hyperion.<\/p>\n The new players slot comfortably into Hyperion, which sounds like a bigger, bolder version of itself. In joining Molnar and Malm on guitars, Hagroth returns the band to its stunning triple-axe attack. With brighter, sharper tones than Seraphical Euphony, the guitar Cerberus of Elysia bites through savage blackened tremolos, chews on Opethian acoustic reprieves, and smiles with pure harmonized bliss, often in one song (\u201cFides Novem\u201d). Vincente\u2019s bass punches through the mix even more than on the debut, occasionally carrying a clang I\u2019d expect in tech-death\/thrash (\u201cPerennial Transcendence\u201d). Laura\u00e9us\u2019s harshes are as harrowing as ever, smoothing over tempo\/key changes with his rough rasp. Flodin\u2019s drum performance recalls that of Anders Peterson, though his subtle rhythmic fluctuations frequently enliven these blasty, thundering beasts (\u201cIliou Persis\u201d). It\u2019s Flodin\u2019s orchestrations, however, in tandem with Molnar\u2019s synthesizer programming, that truly distinguish the sophomore outing from its predecessor. Seraphical Euphony is epic\u2014Elysia is cinematic.<\/p>\n Elysia by Hyperion<\/a><\/p>\n Elysia runs close to film length because it has a sprawling space yarn to unwind. In 3549, with humanity on the verge of intergalactic expansion, the religious dictatorship ruling Earth sends nine vessels on a colonial pilgrimage, but the universe itself has something to say about this adventurism. A \u201cRapturous Overture\u201d kicks off the mission with orchestral bombast, segueing into a tantalizing trio of mid-length bangers. At the heart of the experience lies \u201cParaphrosynia\u201d\u2014a 12-minute monster that bursts In Flames with folky melodicism akin to The Jester Race\u2014and \u201cPerennial Transcendence\u201d\u2014a symphonic ass-beater \u00e0 la At the Welkins at Dust. After an acoustic \u201cVigil of Longing,\u201d Elysia ends mostly with epics. Here, orchestral instruments truly shine; the booming brass in \u201cEpic of Tribulation\u201d fuels soul-lifting triumphalism, while the skittering harpsichord in \u201cEpoch\u2019s Eventide\u201d delightfully classicizes the song\u2019s irresistible fretboard runs. Concluding the album with a d\u00e9nouement swelling to goosepimple-inducing proportions, \u201cThe Primordial Wellspring\u201d sends us off with an eerie string echoing over gentle chords, reminding me of another ending to a 70-minute epic: Parallax 2: Future Sequence (BTBAM). It\u2019s an undertaking, but Elysia mostly thrills across its mammoth runtime. Every listen makes each song stickier, revealing new layers.<\/p>\n Of course, Elysia contains flaws, and\u2014of course\u2014these flaws mostly relate to its length. For starters, the middle of the album does drag a little. The middle of \u201cParaphrosynia,\u201d in fact, is Elysia\u2019s draggiest moment, feeling less vital than its surrounding material. \u201cVigil of Longing\u201d feels almost unnecessary. For an album with so many acoustic breaks, it\u2019s questionable whether it needs a two-minute stand-alone acoustic track. Also, some transitions snag the ear. \u201cEpic of Tribulation,\u201d for one, makes prog-style modulations that sound more jarring than seamless. And finally, the album\u2019s non-Laura\u00e9us clean voices sometimes hit and sometimes miss. I love the battle choir on \u201cIliou Persis,\u201d but the deep voiceover running throughout the album is too muffled. As a character in the narrative, it would be nice to discern a few key terms, at least. All of these, however, are minor issues that don\u2019t detract from the overall experience.<\/p>\n Coupling a great runtime with great quality, Hyperion have returned with a bang. Like finely crafted genre cinema, Elysia newly rewards with each engagement while offering melodic black metal enthusiasts exactly what they want. Fans may prefer Seraphical Euphony as the tighter, more digestible offering, but many will find its follow-up the better record, on account of its consistent execution of a grand design. Enough nitpicks coalesce to keep Elysia from excellence, but Hyperion clearly have the chops to scale that summit. Hopefully, we won\u2019t have to wait until 3549 to get album three. All aboard the Hyperion train!<\/p>\n Rating: 4.0\/5.0 \n\tGive in to Your Anger:\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Hyperion-Elysia-02-327x500.jpg\")
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DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Willowtip Records<\/a>
Websites: Official<\/a> | Instagram<\/a> | Facebook<\/a>
Releases Worldwide: November 6th, 2026<\/p>\n