Eluveitie has never been just another folk metal band, but a metal folk band.

Before saying anything about the new album, Evocation II, we will have to look back.

Now, a bit over a year after the departure of - let’s call them the three Musketeers - Anna Murphy, Ivo Henzi and Merlin Sutter, many were concerned that a huge part of their sound was going to disappear. Few even thought of Eluveitie as almost having the same fate as many bands that broke up, which became unhappy stories themselves. Especially when you have to replace such a huge talent as Anna Murphy’s.

And maybe it would have been the case too, but founder member Chrigel Glanzmann still believed that something good would come out of all the ensuing attempts that followed the exodus of those three members. Chrigel wisely assembled another substantial cast of musicians and finished Evocation II – Pantheon.

Here is the complete line-up and those guys use of various acoustic instruments, tin whistles, hurdy-gurdy, mandolins and various types of pipes and harps:

Alain Ackermann – drums

Rafael Salzmann – lead guitar

Jonas Wolf – rhythm guitar

Kay Brem – bass guitar

Michalina Malisz – hurdy-gurdy

Matteo Sisti – bagpipes, whistles, mandola

Chrigel Glanzmann – vocals, mandola, whistles, pipes, gaita, acoustic guitar, bodhrán, harp

Nicole Ansperger – violin, backing vocals

Fabienne Erni - vocals, celtic harp, mandola

With Evocation II, they are the ones who sing and delight us with stories about Celtic mythology, (each track it’s about a deity), folktales and origins, a Celtic spirit whom speak of long forgotten stories that must be kept alive, even if the Celtic language may be considered lost. It's a call back to Evocation I, a pure folk metal album which was released almost nine years ago. A revision of the roots, obviously. But for sure they can’t keep it like that for many albums to come, and with that solid Celtic universe rebuild they will stir some big expectations for the next album, which will be released probably – let us hope - next year.

Until then, we must wait, to see what the band’s new chosen path will bring. If they will steer this level of folk to their more aggressive metal roots, they will re-confirm a well-deserved space in the general metal pantheon.

Still, to be frank, I think the separation was a good thing too.

Fabienne Erni has a brilliant voice, she is more than just a singer, she’s also a multi- instrumentalist, and my feeling is that Eluveitie just got an even more of a warm folk vibe by adding her to the crew.

I think for the band, and for us, it's just as good as Anna, perhaps I would say, she adds something extra.

Evocation II is played in a closer manner to their original incarnations. There are huge instrumental parts that you’ll may yearn to play when you are in the mood for something dreamy that harkens back to a simpler time. It’s just that beautiful and even more so live. And its perfect to listen it in the cold and longest nights of Scandinavians which is unfortunately, how I see it, on their way to lose their roots and the Scandinavian spirit.

The whole show was huge and just amazing! Their live performance pulls together all elements better than is possible, the instrumentals and vocals, truly insane.

The crowd was up from the first minute even if the venue wasn’t completely full. The set list was almost perfect, with old songs as Inis Mona, The Call of The Mountains, Omnos, Thousandfold, Alesia and also from the newest album as Epona, Lvgvs, Artio, Catvrix (and at the end Epilogue) The sound in the venue was good and the admission was approximately 30 euro.

What a wonderful December evening was in Pumpehuset venue! thanks to Eluveitie to the crowd and organizers. Pumphuset people, you rock!

God Jul! folks.