Review of Eluveitie

MID-MAJOR MAYHEM

By: Geoff Teach

Folk metal often draws a bad rap, but let’s be honest here, people, most bands of the genre play a lot more “folk” than “metal”. Oftentimes, a traditional folk outfit will absorb a hard rock band and attain the label of folk metal, but the music they put out sounds verily milquetoast and decidedly not very metal at all. In the case of Switzerland’s Eluveitie, however, the label fits indubitably. Blending elements of old world Celtic, Gaulish, Irish, and Welsh traditional folk compositions with the best and most brutal aspects of death and extreme metal, Eluveitie has shown doubters the world over that the genre mash-up can not only succeed, but can also sound fantastic while doing so.

Last month, Eluveitie dropped their sixth full length studio album, “Origins” (Nuclear Blast), and the effort immediately shot up the European charts. Similarly, here in the States, the buzz was summarily tangible, and the general consensus of American metal heads was one of adoration and approval. Not one to miss the boat, your humble music critic recently grabbed himself a copy. Now, I have been listening to Eluveitie for quite a few years, and let me tell you, “Origins” is far and away the best album they’ve ever put out. Encompassing all manner of emotions, “Origins” features sixteen songs that inspire not only spasmodic neck-nodding but also impromptu sing-alongs with their beautiful melodies, and quite often in the same track no less. Truly, songs like “From Darkness”, “The Call of the Mountains”, Virunus”, and “Vianna” send chills down my spine, while tracks such as “Sucellos”, “Inception”, “The Silver Star”, and “King” remind you in no uncertain terms that you are listening to heavy fucking metal. Overall, Eluveitie’s “Origins” is a folk metal tour de force, and any heavy music fan who values both resplendent musical composition and metal in its purest experimental form would do well to purchase this opus.

Keep it metal, class dismissed!

To check out “King”, just press play below!