There was a time way back in 2003; a dark and confusing period for popular music when Evanescence ruled the airwaves. Nu metal was finally on its way out after long overstaying its welcome and hipster culture was barely a glint in a ’90s skateboarder’s eye, which left a gaping opportunity for Amy Lee and Co.’s dark gothic rock to plant its flag on the summit of contemporary culture. A few million record sales later, and the band slipped from public favour and disappeared. With every trend seemingly doomed to repeat itself, their influence is now being felt in the suburbs of Melbourne, via the violin-toting, neo-gothic, industrial-rock sounds of Elodie Adams. But wait, come back: this six-track debut EP is more than worth a listen, whether you fancy revisiting the fantasy-filled angst of your younger self or not. The action kicks off with dramatic opener ‘Born To Love You’, which has already been hand-picked to appear on Sony PlayStation’s Oddworld: New ‘N’ Tasty game; quite a score for a relatively unknown artist, and ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ gets into even heavier territory before being punctured by a calming violin. ‘Multiplayer’ (going all-out for the gamer market, Elodie?) wades knee-deep in sludge, before the title track sees Adams combining her classical violin skills with an obvious penchant for horror movies in another genre-bending effort. Is it time for gothic-rock to conquer the world again? If so, Elodie Adams will do Team Australia proud. (Independent)

For mX