ALBUM REVIEW: ORIGINS – ELUVEITIE

Origins
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release Date:1 August 2014

Chrigel Glanzmann’s original vision was original to say the least. 12 years ago he set forth to create an amalgam between melodic death metal with ancient folk melodies. As quirky as that sounds, Eluveitie has become one of the most successful Swiss bands to date. As a fan, I jumped to the chance to listen to the album, and listen I DID.

The narrator starts us off with, “he, who has ears to hear, let him hear. This is a tale of an ancient kind,” and he could not be more correct.  “Origins” opens the doors to the beautiful journey back in time to explore the journey that Eluveitie is taking us on.

“The Nameless” picks up where “Origins” drops off, but we are introduced to Chrigel’s acid drenched vocals layered over the bagpipe refrain previously introduced. The flute dances airily, juxtaposed by the vocals, delivering a delicious dichotomy between the present and the past.

The whistle guides us into “From Darkness”, which spins the refrain quicker, now propelled by the push of the drum. The journey continues, with a broadening of musical intricacy, adding more instrumental elements and choruses; we are still divided and firmed into the present with Chrigel’s harsh and throaty vocal interludes. Violins and guitar play side by side, and we dive straight into what Eluveitie delivers expertly: a stylishly elegant contemporary spin on history.

Anna Murphy opens “Celtos”, a lilting 6/8 folk duet, pulling our sensibilities apart between old and new. Chrigel and Anna ravage our senses as they sing about the birth of Celtos, offspring of the Otherworld. Upbeat in execution, we dance through the solo and on into the key change, moving from subtle gaiety into triumphant victory.

Chrigel’s Mandola brings us to “Virunus”, and the  whistle moves us daintily into an onslaught of Chrigel’s acerbic vocals. We meander between the vocals and airy folk instrumentation, feeling divided, standing on a chasm, between what was and what is, and revel in the beauty between.

“The Call of The Mountain” glides in with bagpipe pleasure, laced with the fiddle and Anna’s gorgeous vocal prowess. A contemporary song with ancient undertones, the instruments of yore aligned with modern guitar take us straight into a vibrant key change that opens our heart and turn our heads homeward.

ELUVEITIE – The Call Of The Mountains (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)  

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“Sucellos” eerily envelopes us with the sound of whipped chains cracking until it explodes with thrashy guitar and drum defiance. It’s a harsher song, but nothing short of Eluveitie magnificence. The usage of non-traditional instruments in a metal context works here, and works well, straight into the united vocal onslaught cadence.

“And there was nothing” is spoken right before we break into the full-on metal storm of “Inception”. Modern instruments and ancient instruments meet full on, leveraging a colossal landscape on which lyrics paint a mural of celestial creation.

Anna trickles her vocals back into our world with “Vianna”, dancing over hurdy-gurdy and guitar deliciousness. Once again introducing Chrigel’s cutting vocals, their voices call and answer each other, as they sing praises to Vianna.

From this point on, the stories get fiercer and heavier, as “The Silver Sister” greets us with a metal tsunami of guitars, drums, and vocals. “King” and “The Day of Strife”, in traditional Eluveitie fashion, meld the present and past with a mixture of ancient instruments and modern metal mainstays.

ELUVEITIE – King (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)

        [embedplusvideo height=”300″ width=”600″ editlink=”http://bit.ly/XRIcKQ” standard=”http://www.youtube.com/v/-AawUSC6hGY?fs=1″ vars=”ytid=-AawUSC6hGY&width=600&height=300&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=&notes=”  id=”ep2254″ /]

We travel this style straight into the end, where Eluveitie has kept me waiting for Chrigel’s quick rolling tongue on “Carry The Torch”. In Gaulish, I can’t decipher the words, but the biting nature of the vocal, and the staccato quality of the rolls tickle the senses, compelling me to put it on repeat to savor that devilish element again and again.

“Eternity” closes Origins with the refrain we’ve heard throughout, with the narrator, alluding to the greatest constant of all, time.

As a fan of this band, it’s hard to be objective; however, this album is nothing short of inspiring. Eluveitie cultivates a harmonious balance between folk and metal. Their musicianship is not overly bombastic, and they have a diversity in both style, music and lyrics. Origins is reflective of this balance. They get 4.5 out of 5 skulls from me!

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by Alice Roques, Cofounder and Managing Editor of RockRevoltMagazine

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