Elysian

Zach Lund

Dirk Rudolph

Tim Corley

**Elysian** is a Canadian post-hardcore band formed in 2001. They are best known for the song *Not What It Seems* off of their 2007 album *The Uncertain Truth*. The band is also known for their acclaimed live shows.

## History

In March of 2001, guitarist Zach Lund placed an advert in a Thunder Bay newspaper looking for musicians to jam with. He was contacted by bassist Alex Randall and drummer Samuel Patrick the next day, and the three of them began playing. Eventually, the three musicians hit it off with each other, and decided to form a band. The band turned to the papers again to recruit a singer, ending up with Seth Brock. By the end of April, the band had grown to five members with the addition of rhythm guitarist Josh Buckley.

In 2002, after touring rigorously across Ontario, the band was finally signed by Roadrunner, with whom they released their debut album, *Caution*, one year later. the album saw success in the emo scene. The band toured across Canada until 2005. That year, Brock left the band due to creative differences. He would later form his own band, Emergence. Now without a singer, the band turned to Myspace to find a replacement.

Out of the thousands of submissions they received, the band eventually picked Dirk Rudolph. In 2006, the band began to record their second studio album, *The Uncertain Truth*. Unlike their previous effort, this album managed to cross over into a more general rock audience. This was likely because of it's two lead singles, *Someone You Forgot* and *Not What it Seems*. The latter of the two, which was much lighter than the band's usual work, catapulted the band into fame, reaching the top 20 of Billboard's mainstream rock charts.

In 2007, the band embarked on the *Uncertainty Tour*, which saw them playing across North America, alongside fellow Canadian band X-Negative. During this tour, the band gained a reputation for their energetic performances and stage presence. As such, a large group of fans began to follow the band throughout the tour, with word of the band's shows bringing in even more people. By the end of the tour, over 100,000 people had attended the band's concerts altogether. By the tour's conclusion in 2008, the band had become extremely worn out. This was especially true for guitarist Josh Buckley, who left the band that year due to fatigue. He was replaced by the band's guitar tech and good friend, Tim Corley.

Once they were in better spirits, the band began working on their third album. Disillusioned by their venture into the mainstream, they decided that this album would be heavier than anything they'd made before. Taking influence from mathcore and extreme metal, the band's 2010 album, *The Theory of Probability*, achieved the band's goal of creating a new style for themselves, as well as expanding their reach to metal listeners. It gained critical acclaim for it's complex instrumentation and abstract lyrics. Despite a lack of mainstream success, the album sold well amongst fans both old and new.

## Influences

Zach Lund has cited At the Drive-In, The Used and Hawthorne Heights as some of the band's major influences in a 2004 interview. Additionally, Dirk Rudolph has said that Meshuggah, Converge, and The Dillinger Escape Plan heavily inspired the band's 2010 album *The Theory of Probability*.

## Members

### Current members

Dirk Rudolph - clean and unclean vocals, keyboards (2005-)

Zach Lund - lead guitar, clean vocals (2001-)

Tim Corley - rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2007-)

Alex Randall - bass, backing vocals (2001-)

Samuel Patrick - drums, percussion (2001-)

### Former members

Seth Brock - clean and unclean vocals (2001-2005)

Josh Buckley - rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2001-2007)

## Discography

*Caution* (2003)

*The Uncertain Truth* (2007)

*The Theory of Probability* (2010)

*Event Horizon* (2013)

*War Games* (2018)

*Juipter's Decay* (2021)