Rebirth

Eluveitie is definitely one of the most popular names in the folk metal genre and for a really long time I couldn't get why. I didn't listen to them too much. In fact I'll just make everything clear by saying I don't know this band. I never listened to one of their albums entirely. All I heard were some of the official videos on Nuclear Blast's youtube and I wasn't very impressed. I don't mean to say that I disliked their stuff but I just didn't feel compelled to check out any more. To me they were one of those "good but not brilliant" bands that I'd listen to every now and then. Still, why judge something you don't know?

So when I saw there was a new video for "Rebirth" out there I sat down comfortably in my seat and got ready for some easy and quite relaxing folk metal tunes. Right... So why do I feel like headbanging?? A lot! This isn't folk metal! This folk death metal! There was even a blast beat in there! Where did this come from? Talk about surprises! I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

So the song is bound to create some 'shock and awe' since the first riff is really heavy, fast, and technical (Never thought I'd use these words to describe Eluveitie) and then suddenly switches to a "headbanging" riff as I like to call it as the folk, ethnic, traditional instruments kick in. So it gives you this slap in the face for a start and then starts unwinding into a very juicy piece of metal. The drums and guitar riffs all through the song are fabulous and flamboyant and the folk instruments spice the whole thing up with a very distinct sound and loads of personality.

The vocals are also very good! The contrast between female clean vocals and death growls will definitely keep things interesting. Chrigel's harsh vocal isn't in any way special but that doesn't mean it's bad and it actually fits this song very well. And there was that short reciting bit before the last chorus that caught my eye. However, the new singer, Fabienne Erni, is quite a sensation. She brings a lot of melody and charisma to the music and her voice really does stand out from all the "trademark" metal singers. Not only is she very good but she is an amazing fit for the genre. There's a really beautiful harmony between her voice and the violin,hurdy gurdy and all the folk stuff. Now I've heard about all the drama with the past members in Eluveitie but honestly... I couldn't care less. Just let them all keep making music.

And then we get to the best part of the song. The guitar solos are pretty crazy! I have one word for you: speed! I really feel the need to point this out since it totally goes against what I knew to be Eluveitie. There's actually a guitar duel going on there and then the hurdy gurdy also kicks in. Then you've got two harmonized guitars and a hurdy gurdy, doing very quick lead sections at the same time.

The truth is that there's a lot going on in this song and the technique is quite impressive. Still, it's very catchy and easy to enjoy. And when you go past all the heavy riffs and drums and the really fast tempo of the song you realise that it does sound very much like Eluveitie. It's just coated in death metal stuff. As I said, I don't know the band and I'm not sure if they've done stuff like this before, or they're only now deciding to set a new level. Either way, "Rebirth" is by far the best song I listened to from them and clearly the most intriguing. Who knows what all this means?