Eluveitie
(pronounced El-Vey-Ti
[1]) is a folk metal band from Switzerland. Their sound can be described as Celtic folk metal with melodic death metal influences. The band formed in 2002 and their first EP, Vên
came out in 2003. The band then released a full-length album, Spirit
. In November 2007, Eluveitie was signed by Nuclear Blast. [2]
The first product of the collaboration, Slania
, was released in February 2008. The album peaked at number 35 in the Swiss charts and number 98 in the German charts. [3] [4]
Eluveitie use traditional instruments amidst guitars and wide-ranging, emotional screams. The lyrics are often in the extinct language Gaulish. Eluveitie
is Etruscan for "the Helvetian", referring to an inscription dating to the earliest record of the Celtic Helvetii tribe from what is now Switzerland.
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ELUVEITIE TICKETS
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Biography
The band was founded in the winter of 2002 by Christian "Chrigel" Glanzmann as a studio project featuring different people on different tracks. October the following year saw the publication of the MCD
Vên
(Helvetian Gaulish for "wild joy"). After Chrigel decided to make Eluveitie a real band instead of a studio project, he assembled 9 other musicians, making it a full 10-piece band.
Shortly afterwards, the group performed its first shows, one including the Swiss metal festival Elements of Rock, and Eluveitie signed a contract with the Dutch record label Fear Dark which released a re-recorded
Vên
in 2004. Other live performances were played, such as on some events of "Fear Dark Festivals", and even as support for the established international pagan/folk metal acts such as
Korpiklaani and
Cruachan. At this point, the band became full-time, and 7 of the 10 members left for various reasons, leaving Chrigel Glanzmann, Sevan Kirder, and Meri Tadic to carry on with new members. They recruited 6 others, including Sevan Kirder's brother Rafi to play bass, making Eluveitie a 9-piece band.
A limited edition tribute album to the German-Icelandic band
Falkenbach was published in 2006 to celebrate their 15th anniversary. The album included Eluveitie's cover song, "Vanadis".
At the beginning of 2006, there was another change in the band's line-up. Sarah Kiener was replaced by Anna Murphy to play
hurdy gurdy and Linda Suter was removed, trimming the band down to eight members.
In the 2nd quarter of 2006, the album entitled
Spirit
was published on Fear Dark, and in September that same year Eluveitie toured Europe with the German band
Odroerir. At the end of 2006, Eluveitie signed a new recording contract with the German label Twilight Records. In early 2007, they played at
Ragnarök Festival.
In November 2007, Eluveitie signed a contract with label Nuclear Blast. The new studio album
Slania
(a girl's name that Chrigel saw on a 2500-year-old tombstone
) was released on February 15, 2008.
On June 4, 2008, brothers Rafi Kirder and Sevan Kirder (bassist and bagpipe player, respectively) announced on their MySpace pages that they would leave Eluveitie following their concert at the Metal Camp Open Air in Slovenia on July 8, 2008
[5].
Eluveitie's next project,
Evocation
, was announced in 2008. The first part of the album,
Evocation I: The Arcane Dominion
, was released in April 2009.
The band released an official special edition of this new album as
Slania / Evocation I - The Arcane Metal Hammer Edition on the May Edition from the
Metal Hammer, the magazine was released on 15 April 2009 with six songs from
Evocation I - The Arcane Dominion and six from
Slania album
[6].
Members
- Chrigel Glanzmann - vocals, Mandola, Whistles, Pipes, Gaita, Acoustic Guitar, Bodhran (appears on "Ven", "Spirit", "Slania", "Evocation I - The Arcane Dominion" and "Evocation II - Visions")
- Meri Tadic - Violin, vocals (appears on "Ven", "Spirit", and "Slania")
- Merlin Sutter - Drums (appears on "Spirit" and "Slania")
- Siméon Koch - Lead Guitar (appears on "Spirit" and "Slania")
- Ivo Henzi - Rhythm Guitar (appears on "Spirit" and "Slania")
- Anna Murphy - Hurdy Gurdy, vocals (appears on "Slania")
- Kay Brem - Bass Guitar
- Pade Kistler - Bagpipe, Whistles
Former members
- Sevan Kirder - Bagpipe, Flute, Whistles; vocals (appears on "Ven", "Spirit", and "Slania")
- Rafi Kirder - Bass Guitar, vocals (appears on "Spirit" and "Slania")
- Linda Suter - Fiddle, vocals (appears on "Spirit")
- Sarah Wauquiez - Hurdy Gurdy, Crummhorn, Helvetic Accordion, Vocals (appears on "Spirit", also appears on "Evocation I - The Arcane Dominion" as a guest)
- Dani Fürer - Lead Guitar (appears on "Ven")
- Dide Marfurt - Hurdy Gurdy, Bagpipes (appears on "Ven")
- Gian Albertin- Bass, Vocals, Sound Effects (appears on "Ven")
- Dario Hofsetter- Drums (appears on "Ven")
- Yves Tribelhorn- Rhythm Guitar (appears on "Ven")
- Philipp Reinmann- Irish Bouzouki (appears on "Ven")
- Mattu Ackerman - Fiddle (appears on "Ven")
Guest musicians
- Fredy Schnyder - Guitar (appears on "Evocation I - The Arcane Dominion")
- Mina the fiddler - Fiddle (appears on "Evocation I - The Arcane Dominion")
- Oliver Sa Tyr - Nyckelharpa (appears on "Evocation I - The Arcane Dominion")
- Alan Averill - Vocals (appears on "Evocation I - The Arcane Dominion")
Discography
Studio Albums
- Spirit
- 2006
- Slania
- 2008
- Evocation I - The Arcane Dominion
- 2009
- Evocation II - Visions
- 2009
Live
Demos
- Vên
- 2003 (re-released in 2004)
Singles
Videos
References
- :: Metalist Magazine :: Interviews :: Eluveitie
- ELUVEITIE Signs With NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS
- Slania
- NUCLEAR BLAST Rocks German Charts
- Eluveitie Forum
- metal-hammer.de: Exklusive Eluveitie-CD im nächsten Metal Hammer