Folking Good Metal!
Hello people of the towns and cities, and of the mountains and the valleys! I pray you are well and satisfactorily hunkered down for Midwinter as I come forth with gifts of goodwill and good cheer (and perhaps good beer.)
This, my friends, is the timely re-release of “Slania” by our folking Swiss cousins Eluveitie. A band of merry musicians who use bagpipes, and the lesser known hurdy gurdy, alongside more contemporary guitars and percussion, and who sing in the even more lesser known Gaulish language. Forgive my ignorance please, but my knowledge of Gaul begins and ends with Asterix. This is indeed a lesson I need, and I am all ears.
“Samon” is the introductory snippet of what we can expect, like a call to arms, everyone must saddle up and salute the arrival of our friends.
“Primordial Breath” gives us “the virile fragrance of alpine Tor” I mean how delicious does that sound?
We learn that the Isle of Anglesey was once known as “Inis Mona” and it housed an important Druid college. A nostalgic look at a time gone by; I love to reminisce, it’s a source of great comfort to me. With its “cryptic doors” and “aspirations” I am hooked.
With “Gray Sublime Archon” our friends sing of how
“I raise my hand against it all, I question now, did I fail?”
They sing of the wars; the bravery, the doggedness, the pride, followed by the eventual death of many in the hope of securing peace and freedom for their homeland. Like the seasons, these songs talk of change and how we must equip ourselves to face whatever life brings.
An instrumental in “Anagantios” has been lovingly crafted for our benefit and leads nicely into the battle anthem “Bloodstained Ground” containing on of my favourite lines
“Trod ye the path of vast deceit?”
I missed this the first time around, daft eh? Eluveitie advance forth with Celtic influences and unearth ancient provinces and characters for us to escape to. It’s tipping it down in Birmingham right now, how lovely to be near a tinkling stream, gallivanting on a grassy knoll, listening to the birds twittering, feeling the wind in your hair, and singing these beautiful songs at the top of your lungs? Heyho….
We continue with “The Somber Lay” again we hear the most tuneful music and the comprehensive notes on the inlay card make for interesting reading as we learn about Celtic history and culture.
“Slania” is sung beautifully in Gaulish, sweet and sublime. Despite my lack of Gaulish/ Celtic knowledge, I am mesmerised by the sounds here and the images they trigger. We celebrate the seasons with “Giamonios” and “Elembivos” as we gather the harvest and are grateful for all our endeavours.
We are treated to demo and acoustic versions of some songs, which heightens the entertainment factor and enriches this grand symphony.
Intricate and intimate is the knowledge and awareness behind this record,
There is a quaintness, a warm, country cottage feel to the whole album. It is alluring, spiritual, magical, heavenly.
It has a certain olde worlde charm, it is a precious gift, it is a treasure; nay, it is Providence.
Azra Pathan
Eluveitie – Slania 10th anniversary re-release out now on Nuclear Blast