Album Review–Elysium

Your Musical Companion To Unearthly Planes

Every artist has a mission to accomplish on this earth. In music, their compositions get attuned to this mission and help them infuse life into their creations. While subscribing to New Age music, I have always had a flair for classical themes reinvented in modern frameworks. Richard Theisen has accomplished quite a lot of work in this category that commanded my appreciation.

His latest album “Elysium” is an exceptional and inspiring production I am keen to recommend to you if you will love such creations. I found the tracks of this album put the listener through a deep mind-calming session. In the process, the audience is sure to discover journeying to some unearthly planes.

About Elysium

Often life reminds us that we have distanced ourselves from the past. This distancing has also meant moving away from our souls and getting closer to dust. In the process, we have lost an oceanic amount of treasures handed to us by our forefathers. Among the lost piles of valuables were prayers, chants, hymns, tones, and intonations that can all heal and nurture our being.

Richard Theisen, the Grammy Award-winning musical whizz, has reinvented many of them and breathed them into his new album “Elysium“, meaning ‘Heaven’. One of the highly pursued purposes of music is to heal and calm the mind. I found this album doing this in a phenomenal way. In this work, the composer of New Age and Ancient Chant Music uses his music for a spiritual purpose. Listening to these tracks makes you forget your worries and get immersed in your supreme consciousness.

What we find in “Elysium” is original, beautiful, and dramatic music. There are eight tracks in total, playing for around 36 minutes. The unusual combination of vocals, epic fantasy vistas, and ethereal pads make this a stunning production any music lover will fall in love with almost instantly. Let me briefly tell you what to expect in each of these tracks before these songs give a spiritual treat to your being.

#1. Hymn to Saint John (05:10)

The opening track is a modern rendition of the ancient hymn ‘Hymn to St. John the Baptist’. This chant was believed to bestow powerful spiritual blessings on the subject. As the song opens, it uncovers layers of heavenly abodes where spiritual beings reside. You feel you have started inhabiting ethereal worlds of peace and joy. The baseline set by the music feels awesome on which a temple of prayers and blessings is made to sit.    

#2. Requiem for Uvalde (03:55)

Theisen dedicates the second opus to the town of Uvalde in Texas which suffered a major tragedy. In one of the deadliest shootings ever in an elementary school in Uvalde on May 24, 2022, nineteen children and two adults lost their lives. ‘Requiem for Uvalde‘ is a soothing piece of music that talks to the core of your heart sending messages of peace and benedictions.

#3. Pange Lingua (04:13)

In the third song, the artist has arranged the ancient hymn ‘Pange Lingua‘. The source is a Gregorian chant of the mystics. In his arrangement, the ancient hymn gets a new version and life. This hymn is tuned to 432 Hz music, where it gains a new charm and gets harmonic to calm the mind and body. The hymn extends to the full length of the album and the effect is mesmerizing and elevating. 

#4. Alcyone (03:21)

The fourth piece ‘Alcyone’ is named after the brightest star in the Pleadies. A purely musical piece, this is a captivating track that leaves you with a lasting impact. Made of long winding notes from the right side chords of the piano, the song fulfills the artist’s purpose in a magical way.

#5. Salve Regina (04:03)

In the fifth track ‘Salve Regina‘, Theisen has delivered his own new version of the ancient hymn. The vocalists have done an extraordinary job of rendering the hymn in a seamlessly coordinated fashion. The opus feels peaceful and serene heightened by the effects emanating from the hymn and tunes.

#6. Manipura (04:14)

The sixth piece is named after ‘Manipura‘, the third chakra in the human body. Corresponding to the solar plexus, the color of the third chakra is yellow. This song is composed purely of musical notes without any vocal element and has a perfectly soothing effect on your whole being. 

#7. Lo Boier (07:22)

In the seventh song, the composer has chosen to reinvent ‘Lo Boier‘, the 700-year chant given to the world by the Gnostic Cathars who were burnt to death at the stake. The harmonious rendering of the hymn has impressive results for the listeners. As we move on with the song, we begin to discover the silent states of union with the higher spirit.

#8. Paradis (04:06)

The French name for Paradise, the final track is the ultimate opus in the album according to my sensibility. The track reaches stunning levels right from its opening accompanying the listeners to enjoy a heavenly existence far removed from the sufferings of the world. Traveling with the music, you feel more peaceful and serene enjoying a blessed state of mind.

Final word

Theisen has a serious spiritual purport for this album “Elysium”. This is precisely the reason why he chose to name it after ‘Heaven’. All the way through the album, you feel the conglomeration of peace, joy blessedness, and serenity. I found this one of the most inspiring albums that have enriched my collection. Any listener discovering its far-reaching magical impact is bound to feel the craving to listen to it often whenever calming the mind and tuning it with the higher realms is necessary.