Eluveitie was founded in 2002 by Christian “Chrigel” Glanzmann and have become a well-known part of today’s metal scene since then. Their original mixture of folk and melodic death metal which is enhanced by using traditional instruments caused quite a stir right from the beginning. Now, some eight years after they released their acoustic album ‘Evocation I’, the Swiss musicians have stored their electronic instruments again in the rehearsal room, and have produced an album that is true to the Celtic folk they normally mix with metal. In some ways, this might be quite confusing to metalheads who don’t normally listen to music like this without some riffing guitars thrown in, while folkies who discover this are going to have a mighty big shock if they purchase anything else apart from ‘Evocation I’.
But, given that I recently returned home after travelling to the other side of the world for a folk festival, I am more than happy listening to music like this as well as the heavier material, and the nine musicians involved with Eluveitie have created something very special indeed. The drone in “Nantosvelta” is wonderful, while the abrupt tempo change to give the fiddle the chance to lead is just wonderful. I am a little confused as to why the instrumental “Antvmos” has that title when it is a delicate and wonderful instrumental rendering of “Scarborough Fair”, with some beautifully picked guitar which leads the first verse before letting a flute take over.
Eluveitie have proved yet again with this that they are far more than just a band trying to ram two different styles together just for effect, they truly understand Celtic folk and this album treats it reverence while creating something very special indeed. If you enjoy folk music, but never thought you would be interested in a band that normally mixes it with death metal then this is something you really need to investigate further.
