Eluveitie – Evocation I: The Arcane Dominion
Nuclear Blast Records

(4.5/5)

Eluveitie is back since the release of their album Slanía, but this are a bit different this time. This time, Eluveitie has gone acoustic with their newest release entitled Evocation I: The Arcane Dominion. This album is definitely for Eluveitie fans, like myself, who really like the traditional Celtic sound in the music because of the lack of electric guitars and even Chrigel’s screamed vocals (not that they’re bad). This album actually features sung vocals by Hurdy Gurdist Anna Murphy with some additional help from A.A. Nemtheanga on a couple of tracks. To be honest, I was really hoping they would do an album like this and I was excited to hear Chrigel say they would. The overall album is excellent. To get a good feel for the entire album, I would suggest listening to tracks such as “Sacrapos – At First Glance” (Track 1), “The Arcane Dominion” (Track 4), “Within the Grove” (Track 5), “Omnos” (Track 8), “Memento” (Track 13), and “Sacrapos – The Disparaging Last Gaze” (Track 15). This is only a piece of the album, but it gives a good, general overview of the masterpiece that is Evocation I: The Arcane Dominion! All in all, this is a great album for Eliveitie fans as well as music fans who enjoy a wide variety of styles.

Nuclear Blast Records was well represented as the Death By Decibels Tour made a stop in Raleigh, NC…

On October 5, 2008, Kataklysm lead the Death By Decibels Tour in a hellacious attack on the non-Metal scene in Raleigh, NC! The supporting group of bands involved in this brutal show was constructed of local opener Edward Teach, Norway’s own Keep of Kalessin, Dying Fetus, and Eluveitie from Switzerland. Altogether, these five bands put on a great show!

The first band to play was Edward Teach from Chapel Hill, NC. Although they are not directly connected to the Death By Decibels Tour (except for this show), they were certainly the right band to kick off the show. Even though I’m not a follower of the Death metal genre, I did enjoy a good part of this band’s set. One thing I liked was their rhythm that was similar to that of the great Death/Viking metal band Amon Amarth. The, almost, overuse of blast beats did throw me off a bit, but other than that, Edward Teach played a great sounding set.

The next band to hit the stage was (as Obsidian Claw refers to them) Epic Extreme metal band Keep of Kalessin. I was stoked to finally witness the power that is Keep of Kalessin live, and I was certainly not disappointed! With a set containing material from, but not limited to, their albums Armada and their newest release Kolossus, these four guys showed why their popularity is growing and that their current line-up is solid. Overall, they played an awesome set and I enjoyed their great stage presence.

Next to hit the stage was the band I was the most excited to see live. This band, of course, is the eight piece Folk metal Eluveitie. To be honest, this was my favorite band to see during the entire show because of the great stage presence between all eight members of the band and I love the mix of Traditional Celtic Folk music and a more modern style of Metal that Eluveitie presents. Also, this was the first time I’ve ever seen someone hairspin while playing a hurdygurdy much less play one in general! Overall, this band was great to see live and and I was pleased with my overall experience with them personally and watching their liver performance.

Playing fourth was the most brutal band of the night, Dying Fetus. With a preceding reputation for pure brutality in their music, this three piece proceeded to blow me away with their set. Just as with Edward Teach, I’m not a big fan of their style and I’m certainly not familiar with their material, but I would recommend their live show to anyone who is. They really did put on a good show and they keep my hope for successful power trios alive!

The final band to give a proverbial punch to the face to all that is not Metal was Canada’s own Kataklysm! I must admit that I’m not as familiar with Kataklysm’s material as I probably should be, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying my second time seeing them live. These four guys really do put on a great show and they’re definitely a cool group of guys to hang out with and talk to. I do believe that the most of their set was from their newest album Prevail, but I can’t confirm that the entire was. Either way, they played a great show and were definitely the right band to headline this excellent tour!

Overall, I had yet another great night of Metal in Raleigh and I definitely can’t wait for the next one! To anyone who are fans of any of these bands from this tour, if you haven’t seen them live, do it! It will be well worth your time, energy, and money!

Eluveitie – Slanía
Nuclear Blast Records

(4/5)

Eluveitie has produced one of the most exciting Folk metal albums of the year, Slanía. With a collaborated effort from all eight members of the band, Slanía helps Eluveitie go a step forward on the Pagan metal scene that combines traditional, authentic Celtic Folk music a modern styled Melodic Death metal. The members are as follows: Merlin Sutter (drums), Anna Murphy (hurdygurdy and vocals), Ivo Henzi (guitar), Chrigel Glanzmann (lead vocals, mandola, acoustic guitar, tin & low whistles, uilleann pipes, and gaita), Rafi Kirder (bass and vocals), Meri Tadic (fiddle and vocals), Siméon Koch (guitars and vocals), and Sevan Kirder (tin & low whistles, Irish flute, gaita, and vocals). Overall, all eight members really do a great job presenting this revolutionary material from Switzerland. On the overall album, there are a few tracks that really caught my attention. The one that really stuck out over all the rest to me is “Elembívos” (track 12). The vocals consist only of a simple chant that remains constant throughout the entire song as the music builds up until it is at a maximum heavy capacity before going back just the chant, then back to full strength for the remainder of the song. The concept is fairly basic, but the overall product is a great closer as far as the regular tracks go. Other than “Elembívos”, “Prímordíal Breath” (track 2), “Gray Sublíme Archon” (track 4), and “Bloodstaíned Ground” stuck out for the large Metal influences used in the songs. For pure examples of the Celtic Folk style, “Anagantíos” (track 5) and “Gíamoníos” (track 9) are both excellent instrumental pieces. Overall, Slanía has one of the most interesting mixes of styles compiled into one album, but it all works out to be one of the best albums put out on the Pagan metal and Folk metal scenes in 2008!