Helvetios

Bands who are able to be propelled to the top of the head are done so by the grace of the attention paid upon them, whether it is deserved or not; depending on the band and musical style, the most attention-sought are usually the ones who aren't even worth crowing about, but I'd like to think that, in the case of the folk metal world, the rapid rise of Eluveitie is pretty deserved. That being said, I digs me some ELU', and have been digging it all back quite a few years, what with the whole combination of epic melodies, addictive rhythms and melodeath seriousness, and honestly I can't wholly sympathize with the nay sayers and some of their consistent bashing of the group in recent years. I've always said that there are worse acts out there to condemn, but is anyone listening? Doesn't seem like it. Ah well.

So it's been quite a while since the satisfying "Everything Remains (As it Never Was)", and I’ve been rather eager to find out what could come next…

What works for this record versus some of the ones in the past is that the serious feel of it all, while still present, is actually put to the side for a more majestic flavoring, that gusty-winter-wind-through-the-woods approach while still retaining a good amount of the modern meanderings they've used in albums past. All this makes for, I'd go so far as to say, probably Eluveitie's most fun album, more bouncy and atmospheric in spite of their darker takes on the old warfaring legends (if the intro track is any indication…), and I found myself absorbed into the album faster than previous works. What helps, outside of the more positive-sounding musical moments, is a general lack of the somewhat repetitive songwriting nature (I'm sorry to admit) the band has undertaken many times before; each song, in its own way, sounds fresh and brimming with grand ideas and only coming back to already-used structures so many times. Even then, though, it's still as addictive and well-done as it's all been before.

What also makes "Helvetios" work is that the guitars have more face time than before. Now granted, the acoustic instrumentation and the melodies therein are still the main focus of the songs, but hearing the guitars and bass play parts that aren't just simple chords underscoring everything else is a nice change of pace. However, it's their ability to use all those simplistic compositional methods and make them grand listens that's been keeping my own personal Eluveitie/Swiss flag fluttering high in the wind. It's the grand scale of the interplay between all the instruments, growling and clean singing that gives this record the staying power it demands, and it's strange that there are other acts out there who would try the same thing only to whiff versus knock it out of the park. But whatev', that's their problem, and I'm only here to discuss how the fanciness of songs like "Home", "A Rose for Epona", and "The Siege" absorb and cling to you throughout a damn-near exhaustive jaunt from one end to the next.

At the end of the day, "Helvetios" is another example of Eluveitie deserving their position in the folk metal realm. Even at their worst, they've done plenty to keep my attention, and chances are I'd put this at the top of my pile of discs begging repeated listens. VERY recommended.