1) Named for the fi… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least three artists with this name:
1) Named for the final resting place of warriors, thinkers and great statesmen in Greek Mythology, the Sacramento, CA based Elysia create epic battle hymns for the Deathcore set. Excessively brutal but socially conscious, vocalist Zak Vargas espouses on societyβs ills from a youthful viewpoint. "I try to write on what is going on in the world and in our lives but from how a kid views it. I think thatβs why a lot of people connect with us instead of me writing solely about personal relationships." Seeing things through a kidβs eyes is not much of a stretch for the eighteen year old Vargas who just graduated high school as well as the rest of the band which includes sixteen year old Danny Lomeli.
Though the band plays "metal," they consider themselves to have the attitude of a hardcore band in their live performances leaning heavily on audience interaction to create the spirit that their "punk" heroes did. Forming four years ago Elysia was originally a recreational outlet from high school where they could live out their scene, hardcore fantasies. "We definitely sucked back then" Vargas admits "Our first show was playing for all of our friends and it went over better than it should have." From there the band chipped away at their own identity while playing shows repeatedly. "Back then the Sacramento scene was composed of a lot of older folks, so we were these kids banging away and not getting much acceptance at first. Eventually all those older kids phased out and a new scene built up behind us."
Playing regionally around Northern California the band began to carve a name for themselves playing mini-tours with bands like Impending Doom and Molotov Solution. "It sounds weird but we built a following and never really played with any sizable bands, it was us playing for locally based bands and their friends and they turned on to us and told their friends and it built from there." Their draw in the Golden State currently is as high as 400 kids for headlining shows.
Self-releasing their debut full-length Masochist in 2006 the band did a west coast tour with KillWhitneyDead and just completed their first national tour with With Blood Comes Cleansing, Arsonists Get All The Girls and Knights Of The Abyss. Inking a brand new deal with Ferret Music the band is set to enter God City Studios in Salem, MA with Kurt Ballou (Converge) this December with a new album to surface in 2008.
2) A female pop singer who released the CD's Feels Like and What's the Meaning.
3) A German band that released the album Spirit of the Sun. The songs under "Listen Now", "Elysium" and "Come The Night" are from this band.
Xenophobia
Elysia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
a cement wall so aliens will stop their crawl,
so tall they can't climb above.
Shove them back, there's no love here.
Because our fears endless years of tears will fall upon us.
Building a wall to keep them out?
I'm highly in doubt.
because we're still judging by skin
and so-called "moralists" are blind of the sin.
How can God justify this?
Created to exist
not to be dismissed
into an abyss of our ignorance.
The wickedness is knowing of their gratefulness.
Suppressing as this nation is regressing.
Stuck in reverse can we inverse this curse?
My family is not accepted in land that was once there's before they were
redirected, disrespected, rejected, and infected, dissected to be contrived.
Manifest Destiny has survived and is being revived.
In a nation of all this evil I demand an upheaval!
If this wall was built before I was born,
I wouldn't even be alive to mourn.
The lyrics of Elysia's song Xenophobia address the controversial issue of building a wall to prevent immigrants and refugees from entering the United States. The opening line - 75 percent approve of this torment - suggests that a significant proportion of the American population supports the construction of a wall, regardless of how inhumane or ineffective it may be. The next few lines describe the wall as being so tall that "aliens" (a term often used to dehumanize non-citizens) cannot climb over it. In this context, the wall serves as a symbol of both physical and psychological separation, a way of "shoving back" anyone who doesn't belong.
Elysia then questions the wisdom of this strategy, asking whether the wall is really built to keep people out, or to keep Americans trapped inside their own prejudices. She argues that the justification for such a wall is immoral, a product of ignorance and an unwillingness to acknowledge the contributions that immigrants have made to American society. Using religious language, she suggests that building a wall is a sin that goes against God's plan for humanity. Instead of suppressing immigrants, we should be celebrating their gratefulness and working to reverse the curse of xenophobia that has plagued our nation for centuries.
Line by Line Meaning
75 percent approve of this torment,
A large number of people agree that this torture is acceptable and necessary.
a cement wall so aliens will stop their crawl,
A wall is being constructed to prevent immigrants from entering the country illegally.
so tall they can't climb above.
The wall is of such a height that immigrants cannot climb over it.
Shove them back, there's no love here.
The nation is unwelcoming and unloving towards immigrants, pushing them away.
Because our fears endless years of tears will fall upon us.
The fear of immigrants among Americans has caused pain over many years and it still persists today.
Building a wall to keep them out?
It is unlikely that the reason for building the wall is to prevent immigrants from entering the country.
I'm highly in doubt.
There is doubt about the real purpose of the wall.
More like building a wall to keep us in
The wall is seen as a mechanism to isolate America from the rest of the world rather than to prevent immigration.
because we're still judging by skin
Americans are still making judgments about others based on their skin color.
and so-called "moralists" are blind of the sin.
People who claim to be morally superior and religiously devout are oblivious to the fact that their attitudes towards immigrants are sinful.
How can God justify this?
The idea that the wall is being built as part of God's plan is not a rational argument.
Created to exist
Immigrants are not creatures that should be dismissed or ignored, they have a right to exist in this world.
not to be dismissed
Immigrants should not be disregarded or assumed to be inferior in any sense.
into an abyss of our ignorance.
If we continue to ignore the rights and feelings of immigrants, we will be trapped in a deep hole of ignorance.
The wickedness is knowing of their gratefulness.
It is a wicked act to be aware of the gratitude of immigrants and still deny them the right to live in America.
Suppressing as this nation is regressing.
The nation is going backwards in terms of tolerance and acceptance of others.
Stuck in reverse can we inverse this curse?
It is hoped that this curse of prejudice and intolerance can be reversed and progress can be made towards building a more welcoming and just community.
My family is not accepted in land that was once there's before they were
The singer's ancestors were forced to leave their homeland and the legacy of injustice remains with their descendants.
redirected, disrespected, rejected, and infected, dissected to be contrived.
The singer's family was relocated by force, disrespected, denied rights, and discriminated against.
Manifest Destiny has survived and is being revived.
The idea of Manifest Destiny (the belief that Americans were destined to expand their territory) still lives on and is being resurrected in some ways.
In a nation of all this evil I demand an upheaval!
The singer is calling for a movement towards change and reform in a country that is plagued with injustice.
If this wall was built before I was born,
The wall has become a symbol of prejudice and intolerance that has existed for generations.
I wouldn't even be alive to mourn.
It is a sad reality that many people, including the singer, are coping with the negative impacts of the wall and its symbolism.
Contributed by Caden K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dexter J
"If this wall was built before I was born I wouldn't even be alive to mourn" Truer words have never been said
bloodshedhero
definitely one of my favorite bands
Mattylc3
Zack vargas vocals are insane
BUFU udc
best lyrics ever best sound ever best band ever existed nuff said.
doolb666
definitly, one of my fav deathcore bands
hisxdecember
who needs to understand what they're saying with such killer instrumental? lol. Awesome-ness.
Filip Latocha
I laughed for 3 straight hours listening to this. So brutal.
UBleedIDrink
first song i have listened to by elysia... fucking sick, instantly hooked =)
alex Lapadat
dude 1:47 to 2:07 is the best screaming parts pretty much u can say that breakdown was the best part
150penguins
i like the sound of his lower vocals a lot