Eluveitie is Chrivel Glanzmann’s band and it always has been. Right from it’s inception back in 2002 he assembled like-minded musicians to carry forward his vision for his band. Therefor, members may come and go but as long as Glanzmann is still at the helm, the good-ship Eluveitie will stay on course. Now OK, there hasn’t really been quite such a high profile line-up shuffle as took place last year since their debut, but it was always Glanzmann’s intention for Eluveitie’s next release to be the second part of their more folk orientated “Evocation” series, so he’s stuck to his guns and the new line up is unveiled here. This new line-up has of course proved itself admirably already in a live environment, so this is just the next step in it’s existence.
For those few who are unfamiliar with the way Eluveitie do things, they are basically one of the best Folk Metal bands in the world, who, a few years back decided to record “Evocation I – The Arcane Dominion”, a much more traditional Celtic/Folk album, as something just a bit different. It was a great success, so here we have the second part, and to me it sounds a much more polished, rounded collection of folk ditties, musings, tunes and pieces than it’s predecessor which had a slight air at times of “here are some tunes that were a bit too full-on folk for the last two albums”, though that might be a touch harsh.
Possibly the first thing to strike many about “Evocation II” is the studio debut (and resounding success!) of new vocalist Fabienne Erni. She has an initial similarity in style and tone to Anna Murphy, but as the album progresses she unveils much more warmth, variation and range to her voice. She suits the songs fabulously well, styling her voice effortlessly to suit each mood and when it’s her turn to shine like in the almost solo ‘Artio’, she absolutely radiates! This album has a soundtrack quality to it at times with lots of real-world/nature-type audio samples underlying the haunting pipe/whistle/violin arrangements that are the album’s core. Unlike it’s Evocation-predecessor, there doesn’t feel like there’s been a push to maybe write a catchy single-type tune that would gain the band a wider audience, instead the entire album feels like Glanzmann’s opportunity to share his love of Celtic Folk, and his undeniable talent for songwriting and arrangement. It’s a way of paying tribute to the Celtic music that inspired what Eluveitie are today.
In another nod to what came before, but in a more Eluveitie way, there are hidden snippets of songs from their history scattered through the album, but of course given a more folk-orientated treatment. Some are more obvious than others – for instance I’m sure most fans will spot that ‘Ogmious’ is a re-working of the hook from ‘Inis Mona’, which first saw the light on “Slania”, but that’s the only one I’m spoiling for you – needless to say it’s just another point of interest on an already intriguing release. It’s an album that flows beautifully, nothing jars or feels out of place, each musician’s contribution is expertly delivered as you would expect, but there is such an attention to detail, a real importance that each instrument fits perfectly into it’s part in the albums overall ambiance. Whether it’s as simple as a warm-toned acoustic guitar which blends sublimely with whistle in ‘Antvmnos’ (a gorgeous personal take on ‘Scarborough Fair’) or the whole band weighing in to back some excellent fiddle-work courtesy of the fabulous Nicole Antsperger in ‘Nantosvelta’, it all just works!
All the new members have slotted straight into the band perfectly, and in a way, this album gives them the chance to show Eluveitie fans their celtic/folk roots before being unleashed on a Metal album. Eluveitie continue to stride forward on their fantastic musical journey. Some may see this release as breathing space before the next Metal onslaught, others a necessary marker in the band’s history to show where they came from and define where they are going. It may be both those things and much more, but it’s certainly another excellent unique offering from this immensely talented unique band. Long may they continue.
(9/10 Andy Barker)
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