Eluveitie – “Slania”

Slania is Eluveitie’s second full-length album named after a girl’s name the founder, Chrigel Glanzmann, discovered on a 2500-year old tombstone. Though there is a self-titled track, the album has nothing really to do with this girl. Slania does, however, include eloquent lyrics of ancient lands and battles – still beauty and aggression. The lyrics are written in Gaulish and modern English, which challenges you to open your mind to an extinct language and allows you to fully experience and appreciate the Celtic traditional sound. For instance, the opening track begins with the sounds of an impending storm, a crackling fire, and a young woman’s voice whispering in Gaulish which invites you to listen closely.

A blend of Swedish death metal and traditional folk metal, Eluveitie is a blend of 8 musicians; a handful play strictly traditional folk instruments and the others play either strictly modern instruments or a mixture. In Slania, the blend of traditional folk music and modern metal work together perfectly; the harsh vocals, chugging guitars, and fast-paced drumming drives the music forward as the traditional sounds of the lilting folk instruments float above with their lighter sound.

Eluveitie included two pure folk instrumental tracks on this album, “Anagantios” and “Gianmonios”, to allow you to take a break from the wave of aggressive Celtic metal tracks – but not for long. Immediately after “Anagantios” ends, you are hit by a wall of sound. “Bloodstained Ground” begins with heavy riffs and rough vocals that hit you unexpectedly. Throughout Slania there are moments like this, vacillating from soothing to abrasive.

With a marriage of traditional and modern sound, light and dark imagery, soothing and harsh vocals, Eluveitie have certainly themselves apart from other folk metal bands. If you are open to a blend of traditional and modern music and language, this album is one for you.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Samon
02. Primordial Breath
03. Inis Mona
04. Gray Sublime Archon
05. Anagantios
06. Bloodstained Ground
07. The Somber Lay
08. Slanias Song
09. Giamonios
10. Tarvos
11. Calling The Rain
12. Elembivos

Run Time: 50:18
Release Date: 03.11.2008