Eluveitie – ànv

vote
7.0

• Band:
  Eluveitie
• Duration: 00:41:13
• Available from: 25/04/2025
• Label:

• Nuclear blast

When the Swiss Eluveitie manifested themselves fully on the Metal scene with “Slania” – it was 2008 – there was great enthusiasm: the writer reminds with pleasure both the albums of that period but above all the unwilling live performances and the use of traditional tools on stage.
On the other hand, the Zurich band was able to connect different subgenres and segments in the best way, making its mixture of melodic and pagan/folk Death metal credible which in those years had its important role and – as a style – was still relatively young.
Of time it has gone from “Slania” and, like all the realities of a certain weight on the market, ours have faced a good number of changes of training – including some not exactly peaceful, just go to recover various statements made over time by the escapes – but they continued keeping their big route coherently.
Every now and then it emerged – especially with the two “Evocation” – a love for a decidedly less immediate acoustic ambient/folk but we can say that the identity of the Eluveitie has always remained the same. Speaking of a band, however, always active on the live front and present on the market in one way or another (the last is the collaboration with the fauns for the single “Gwydion” of 2022), it is still particular to realize how six years have passed since the last “Ategnatos”: we were really curious to see if the long interlude had brought some news.
First of all, “ànv” presents itself with an almost unchanged formation with a single new face-that of the violinist Lea-Sophie Fischer-and a proposal once again recognizable. To frame the work, listening to the three individual forerunners are significant that confirm a bit all the characteristics of ours: Melodeath, traditional tools, alternation of screaming male voice and sung female voice (very well, moreover, as in the short title-track).
Of the three we appreciated very “premonition” for its taste Amon Amarth, but also the most dreamy atmospheres of “Awen” are very welcome, especially for the vocal performance of the singer Fabienne Erni.
Yet not everything has remained intact in the 2025 Eluveitie: we can try to frame the change by analyzing the third extract – “The Prodigal Ones” – and by relating it for example to some of the bands with which ours have divided the stage over the years: Infected Rain, to Infinitum or Glacuna Coil.
In a song like this, in our opinion it emerges an approach to a certain Modern Metal from the most rock appeal as they could have done, in addition to some of the names mentioned, also the amaranthe. Attention, however, the Eluveitie never separate from their original conceptual dimension, namely that of the Celtic tradition and the Melodeath, but on closer inspection, the sounds over time have evolved, getting closer and closer to the models of Soilwork, in flames and Arch Enemy with guitars with darker and graffiant sounds (“Taranoìas” or “The Harvest”).
These are in the end the two souls that move “ànv” that overall remains a balanced disc, capable of flowing very pleasantly, resulting, among other things, more focused than other episodes of the past where acoustic interludes, folk and ritualistic ended up diluting a little attention (very nice instead “anamcara”).
In this regard, the regular edition of the album does not exceed forty minutes – less than in the past – but earns a lot in usability. Ultimately, there are no drops but not even particular tips. Nothing amazing, but all very pleasant. We are sure that the contents of “ànv” will be enhanced in the near future on stages around the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxdor67p4bu