Eluveitie
Ànv
Napalm Records
Since bursting out of the Swiss Alps in 2002 Eluveitie have been fusing modern metal with traditional Celtic sounds to great effect. Impervious to fads and trends this ensemble helped shape the folk metal movement and paved the way for the genre’s resurgence. Releasing a series of albums that are at once groundbreaking and timeless, their ninth long player is no exception, finding the past and present colliding in spectacular fashion and have produced an album in Ànv that is sure to sound vibrant many years hence. On an album that features Celtic jigs and melodic death metal (and often within the same song) what unifies these sixteen tracks is unbridled energy and whether it’s the achingly beautiful title-track or the bombastic ‘Premonition’, Eluveitie deliver these songs with a conviction that renders them totally authentic. Aided by a clear production that allows all the facets of the band’s sound to shine, Ànv is the perfect summation of the past two decades, yet Eluveitie aren’t merely musical archaeologists and the sonic blast of cuts like ‘The Harvest’ and the equally vivacious folk dance ‘Memories Of Innocence’ places them firmly in the present. So let’s raise a mead horn and toast the past and the future.
Review by Peter Dennis.