Folk Metal A-Z, Part 5

In most countries, there are plenty of songs that sing of their homeland, most of which have been adapted by many bands of many genre varieties to convey their own respective interpretation of the classic original. In this fashion, it acts as a means to pay homage to ones' native roots, and it is almost always a humbling experience both for the artist and the listener when interpreted in a fashion that the listener can find "catchy", "melodic", perhaps even "eccentric".... it always depends on your own personal musical preference. In the long term, it is a rewarding experience and endeavor.

Which brings me to the next band to be featured in this series. From the city of Winterthur, Zurich (a canton located in Northern Switzerland), this next band's homeland carries Switzerland's sixth largest population, at a count of over 100,000 residents in the city alone. That being so, this band seems to be in a city of their own, as they have creatively applied many different old AND new aspects to both their sound as well as their stage presence.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you....

ELUVEITIE

(Image Source: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwif5Yiqq8XQAhWD8CYKHU1AAWEQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwallofsound.org%2F2016%2F05%2F09%2Feluveitie-australian-shows-will-be-last-with-current-line-up%2F&psig=AFQjCNE3m9H-UPhoD-s1VpJIMTnpeiofjg&ust=1480212442923788)

Founded in 2002 by lead vocalist Christian "Chrigel" Glanzmann, Eluveitie initially just started out as a studio project with the release of "Ven", the band's debut EP, in 2003. However, the EP received so much success that the project eventually became a full-time engagement, following with their debut full-length release, "Spirit", in 2006. The band has been known to describe themselves as "the new wave of folk metal", and deservedly so. Their masterful combination of melodic death metal and traditional folk metal is impressive, and by utilizing many native folk instruments such as the hurdy gurdy and bagpipes, they offer a folk metal blend that is matched by few. They use both harsh and clean vocals alike, giving almost a "sweet-tart" type of audio display, which does stay true to many of the initial "godfathers" of the folk metal genre, but with a modern twist.

The folk metal aspect of their style encircles mostly that of Celtic music and mythology, particularly the Celtic Gaul village, located in what is now Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and the west bank of the Rhine in Germany. In fact, some of the lyrics in their music are sung in the village's now-extinct native language, Gaulish. There are even songs of theirs that can be found with both Gaulish AND English (most of the lyrics for their music are in English, officially). Additionally, the band name comes from some graffiti found on a vessel in Mantua, a city and commune in Lombardy, Italy, in Etruscan letters, which translate into "the Helvetian", presumably referring to a man of Helvetian descent living in Mantua.

With many tours completed and many line-up changes that have taken place over the last several years of their career, they finally announced recently that they will have an album available in Spring 2017. The album was confirmed as a continuation of a previous one, "Evocation I: The Arcane Dominion", released in 2009. This new second part of the duo is to be titled "Evocation II: Visions".

Now, without further ado, please enjoy these songs which I have carefully selected, as per usual, for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

Of Fire, Wind and Wisdom, from the debut album "Spirit" (2006)