Eluveitie - Evocation I - The Arcane Dominion
Nuclear Blast
Folk/Acoustic
15 songs (50:24)
Release year: 2009
Eluveitie, Nuclear Blast
Reviewed by Khelek

Eluveitie are probably most well-known for their excellent blend of folk elements and melodic death metal. Their previous album, Slania, was very memorable and enjoyable and it's an album I still listen to often. This is their attempt at going back to the Celtic folk and acoustic elements of their sound and creating a whole album devoted to them. The end result is quite enjoyable if you're looking for an album to sit back and relax with rather than bang your head to. This is an album that you really have to just sit down and listen to without doing anything else. There are a lot of details, and although the songs themselves aren't very complex, they are quite thoughtful and atmospheric. I found the music works best sitting in a dark room, and I also enjoyed it when looking at nature as it makes me think of forests and other natural settings.

The first noticeable thing about the music is obviously the wide assortment of folk instruments being used, as it is in the band's metal albums. There are flutes, drums, hurdy-gurdy, etc., with the rare electronic sound effects. Female vocals by Anna Murphy are utilized pretty often and right from the start of the album in the second song Brictom. This is a pretty simple folk song that uses a flute, drums, and acoustic guitar among other instruments to create a calm atmosphere that would not have sounded out of place as a slower song on Slania. However, the growled vocals that most remember from the metal albums of Eluveitie are present as well, albeit rarely and in small doses, such as in the song The Arcane Dominion, which is mostly instrumental besides some growls and then some singing from Anna Murphy during the second half of the song. Clearly the band recognizes that metal listeners are going to be most of the listening audience here, so they do incorporate elements that are "heavier" than your usual folk album. There are also a few instrumental tracks such as the serene and beautiful Within The Grove, a song characterized by woodwinds and back by light drumming and a cello. The Cauldron Of Renascence picks up the pace with a quick tempo that makes me visualize running through a forest or people dancing around a fire. Not much in the way of vocals for this track either, just some growls and the deep, gruff spoken words from Chrigel Glanzmann that add a nice contrast to the fast-paced instruments. This song is only 2 minutes long, but the energy it conveys makes it seem longer. I'm noticing many of the vocals are spoken or chanted and not much in the way of traditional singing is used. Omnos does get more to the traditional singing and song structure, another great up tempo acoustic song that is every bit as energetic and enjoyable as something off of one of the band's metal albums.

Overall this is a good album to just sit back and relax to, and still has some up-tempo passages that shake things up. If you enjoy Eluveitie's work in the metal genre you should definitely check this out, as should anyone who considers themselves a fan of Celtic or other folk music. This is simply great stuff and really shows the depth and ability of the band.

Killing Songs :
Brictom, The Arcane Dominion, Within The Grove, The Cauldron Of Renascence, Omnos, Ne Regv Na
Khelek quoted 83 / 100
Other albums by Eluveitie that we have reviewed:
Eluveitie - Helvetios reviewed by Leah and quoted 82 / 100
Eluveitie - Spirit reviewed by Elias and quoted 95 / 100
Eluveitie - Everything Remains As It Never Was reviewed by Khelek and quoted 85 / 100
Eluveitie - Slania reviewed by James and quoted 84 / 100
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