Eluveitie, Evocation II

After the departure of almost half of the band and an Origins that was slightly less inspired than their previous albums, I was getting a bit worried about Eluveitie’s future. However, if Evocation II proves anything, it’s that there were less than zero reasons for me to worry, apparently these guys are some resourceful and determined artists. 

There was no doubt in my mind they would find talented instrumentalists to properly fit their sound and vision (even if the hurdy gurdy player might take more time), but since Anna has been such a big part on their last albums, I was curious to see how her replacement would affect things. I’m happy to say it went as smoothly as possible, at least from what I can see and hear from the outside. Fabienne Erni is a great addition, her voice type is very similar to Anna’s (so there’s not too big of a change), but there are small details that make Fabienne an improvement. Less cheese would be the most notable one, in the style of singing, but especially in the songwriting. Seeing how Anna was behind some of the corniest and most boring tracks of Eluveitie (Call of the mountains or Alessia) and how her current band, Cellar Darling, is everything I used to hate in Eluveitie, I can’t say I’m terribly sad to see her gone. Also, after displaying such a gentle and suave voice in Artio and so folky and playful in Epona, Fabienne seems more versatile and emotionally convincing than Anna. 

The other notable change is the mellowness of this album. Of course, as a continuation of Evocation, Evocation II was bound to be an acoustic-oriented album and this is definitely not something I mind. As a huge fan of the first part, I was very enthusiastic about this record. However, even without too many metal instruments and grunts, Evocation I was lively, varied and engaging from start to finish. The second part definitely has its own shining moments (more about that later) and I enjoyed it very much, but by the end, it starts to get slightly… I wouldn’t say dull, but maybe uninspired? Five relatively slow instrumentals in a row is a bit too much for my taste. Especially since the previous three songs are another instrumental that sounds more like Lunasa than Eluveitie, an acoustic rendition of Inis Mona (that makes me realise something that more astute listeners have noticed ever since the original track, which is an overwhelming resemblance to Manau’s Le tribu de Dana) and a lone lovely Esvs that breaks the norm by transporting me to an ancient world where druids chant in the forest. Every track is very pretty taken separately, which is why I don’t want to say too many bad things about them, but the truth is that when put together in this order, there’s just too much mellowness and uniformity. Or maybe I have little patience and a bad attention span, I know that’s always a problem…

The first half of the album, however, is pretty awesome. Ok, very awesome. With more variety and more vocals, the first 10 songs got me hooked. There are still plenty of instrumental moments (and even fully instrumental tracks), but seeing how they are sprinkled with vocals and faster paced parts, I can fully focus on their beauty without getting so used to them that they become an ambiental sound. They’re all lovely, alternating between gentle dreamy flute and violin moments and infectious and joyful Celtic swirls of instruments. 

The two tracks that stand out to me are Epona and Catvrix (and those are the only two that have Chrigel yelling stuff in the background, I never thought I could miss Chrigel so). Epona is an excellent single, as it reached its purpose of making me mega-excited about the upcoming album and properly introducing Fabienne. It’s incredibly catchy, cheerful and engaging and it’s full of that good vibe I love Eluveitie for. Catvrix is probably at the opposite pole. Not cheerful and positive, but a mesmerising and captivating incantation that starts off with the vocals from Dessumiis Luge (by the way, I love the little nods to the first Evocation, such as this one and the first half of Grannos) and continues with some enthralling chants from both Chrigel and Fabienne, accompanied by tribal drums and wolf howls. Cernvnnos is also gorgeous, especially that growth at the end with the violin and Chrigel’s scream. And Artio gives me chills, and Grannos is so sweet and upbeat without being cheesy… yeah, I just love the first part of the album, it’s great!

The truth is the guys and girls from Eluveitie have done a great job of bringing the Celtic culture to life.  Using at least a dozen instruments, including more unconventional ones such as hurdy gurdy, harp, mandola and all sorts of pipes and whistles, singing in an extinct language, meeting with scholars specialised in the Gaulish language and generally being incredibly dedicated to their work… all these have contributed to a very impressive atmosphere, where you can feel a part of those ancient stories and vividly picture the past. The album exudes history and magic, as well as beauty and emotion, and even though the ending trails a bit, it’s still very pretty if you’re in the mood for it, while the first half is so awesome it more than makes up for it. It lacks the general infectious energy of Eluveitie, but in focusing on the acoustic part, it gains something that they didn’t have before, which is depth and an ability to evoke emotions other than joy and excitement. Since I’m pretty sure they’ll return to their regular grunts and distorted instruments with their next album, Evocation II is a lovely change that proves there’s more to this band than bouncy folk metal and makes me love them even more.