The album kicks off with "Darkest Hours," an upbeat song that gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect for the rest of the disc: guitar riffs, the requisite power metal style of vocals, keyboard atmospherics and melodic lines, and the big chorus melody. There's no real shred solo like I've come to expect, instead having more of a groove breakdown in the bridge. "Under Burning Skies" keeps the tempo up and is driven by some more interesting guitar riffs than the chords on the opener. "Infernal Maze" has a slower intro before kicking back into high gear, and includes guitar and keyboard trading blistering solos. "Fairness Justified" has a much slower, heavier groove, and a choral backdrop in the chorus. The other standout, or at least the one that always gets stuck in my head, is "Lifetime In a Moment," which is another slower number with a big hook.

The CD wraps up with an 18 minute title track, and I feel like this is where the band got a little derailed. There are lots of ideas in different sections of the song, from heavier grooves to a slower acoustic-and-string section. Parts of the song are reminiscent of movements from Dream Theater's "A Change In Seasons." Unfortunately, the song doesn't flow very well, and some parts of the song are just too uninteresting or too ridiculous to be saved by the other parts. This is made worse by the fact that the most ridiculous part of the song is the big majestic closing verse before the final guitar solo, and so the disappointing ending is what I most take away from the song.

All told, Elysium isn't bad; it's just not stellar. There are some decent songs, and even discounting the disappointing closing track leaves nearly 40 minutes of solid power metal. It's worth checking out if you're into the style, but it's not the sort of CD that's going to make power metal converts.