Poll: How would you rate "Elizium" (1990) by Fields of the Nephilim?

Tracklist:
1. (Dead but Dreaming)
2. For Her Light
3. At the Gates of Silent Memory
4. (Paradise Regained)
5. Submission
6. Sumerland (What Dreams May Come)
7. Wail of Sumer
8. And There Will Your Heart Be Also

The third and final studio album from the original line-up.

 

Wow....! This album has aged very well and seems like the culmination of "Dawnrazor" and "The Nephilim". Especially love the production which is impeccable and definitely ahead of its time. It surely doesn't sound like 80's Goth. You could make a case for this being one of the first albums sounding like the new decade. People never took the Nephilim serious but "Elyzium" is an album I'd put next to "Closer", "In The Flat Field", "JuJu" or "First & Last & Always". Absolutely essential

 

Very good album, possibly their best. A must own if you like this type of music.

 

Whilst I personally prefer The Nephilim I appreciate the fact this album is dreamier and has less of the cookie monster vocals. Pretty essential goth rock- few goth bands can say that.

 

I actually love it when McCoy suddenly sounds as solemn as Ian Curtis.

 

A monumental release which stills sounds as magnificent today as it did when it was released.

 

One of my all time favorite albums. I don't like any other of their albums even half as much.

 

Having loved the first two albums I eagerly anticipated this release back in 1990. Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed with what I heard and my opinion hasn't altered over the years. For me, the magick (excuse the pun) had gone and I think it might have something to do with Andy Jackson (Pink Floyd's engineer) being brought in to produce the album. To my ears, the album sounds too polished and the production hasn't aged as well as the previous two albums. The band had dabbled with progressive rock on their previous albums (Last Exit for the Lost is a classic), but I would argue that they became self-indulgent on Elizium.

I read here that one of the reasons Carl McCoy left the band was because he found the songs on Elizium "boring to perform live". I don't know if that's true, but thought I would add it to the discussion since I saw the band perform songs from the album on three occasions and, alas, I was bored.

 

Fascinating that the first two Nephilim albums seem to receive more bumps.

What do you all think of the "Psychonaut" ep?

 

Polls are also open for these albums by Fields of the Nephilim:
1. Dawnrazor
2. The Nephilim

 

I do not know if that is true either. I have met their former tour manager and he said the band and McCoy had a falling out, which was the reason for the split. He did not say why they had a falling out and I did not ask.

 

It's good but I think The Nephilim is their best.

 

I seem to remember from those Rubycon interviews that they had the now obligatory musical differences, with McCoy looking for a more "spiritual" direction while the rest wanted to rock out. But don't quote me, these are stories from the early 90's

 

I am a long-time (since 1990ish) Neph fan, have seen them live more than any other band, though I was slightly too young to see them in their late 80s heyday. I'm not sure which is my favourite album, though Earth Inferno is my all-time favourite live album and would probably be my pick (a bit of a cheat, I guess). Plus two of their best songs aren't on a studio album: Blue Water and Psychonaut. I also love the two Carl McCoy albums, though it took me some time to really appreciate the Nefilim one, as it was too "death metal" for me at first! Mourning Sun is up there with the original three albums in my opinion.

 

Nowhere near as good as their previous album for me. This is a bloated and boring attempt IMO.

 

The Nephilim is a great album, particularly the epic tracks on the second side, which feel like a natural lead into the scope and grandeur of Elizium.

 

My fave Nephilim album. But then I like Pink Floyd and prog rock, so long songs and segues are totally my jam, and Elizium has this in spades

--Geoff

 

Awesome. See my comments on The Nephilim thread for more elucidation!!!