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REVIEW: Eluveitie - Slania
Nuclear Blast, 2008
I have been a fan of Eluveitie for about 4 years and with every release I have been more and more impressed by their brilliant combination of Celtic folk instrumentation and their sheer musical talent. Slania is certainly no exception, indeed it is the culmination of their skill and it is likely the most impressive album I have listened to so far this year and undoubtedly one of my favorite albums of all time. After receiving this album I listened to it ceaselessly for at least two weeks without touching any other CD, yes it is just that good, but let me discuss why it is that good. In Slania, as with their other releases, Eluveitie combines traditional Celtic Folk tunes with Gothenburg style Melodic Death Metal. The spirit of reels and jigs pervade the songs and bring a uniquely melodious and pleasing sound to the sharply contrasting death metal atmosphere. This is not to say that all of the tracks are a combination of the aforementioned extreme and folk elements, there are also a myriad of instrumental tracks on the album which adds variation and keeps the listening experience fresh and interesting. Of course the most integral part of Eluveitie’s sound is the vast panoply of instruments which they play. Everything from Guitars to mandolin, bagpipe, and hurdy-gurdy can be found on this album, thus they are unique not only for the style which they choose to play but also in the medium which they use to present that style. The lyrics are in English and occasionally in Gaulish, a nearly extinct Gaelic dialect and the lyrical content is about Celtic/Helvetian (Swiss) history and spirituality. The listener can easily discern that the musicians involved care deeply about what they are purveying and this adds an emotional connection to the songs that is woefully absent from many other bands in the extreme metal genres. The production quality on Slania is nearly flawless, thus you can clearly hear the great mélange of instruments being played. An impressive feat considering the sound could have easily been muddy and indistinguishable given the amount of people performing simultaneously on the album. To put it succinctly, Slania is a beautiful piece of aural artwork. It is replete with substance and emotion and is simply a joy to listen to, if you have any interest whatsoever in Celtic folk music and/or metal this album is very highly recommended.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Samon |
| 2. Primordial Breath |
| 3. Inis Mona |
| 4. Gray Sublime Archon |
| 5. Anagantios |
| 6. Bloodstained Ground |
| 7. The Somber Lay |
| 8. Slanias Song |
| 9. Giamonios |
| 10. Tarvos |
| 11. Calling the Rain |
| 12. Elembivos |
| 13. Samon (acoustic version) |
: 50.05
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