Customer Reviews

Slania

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Take two very epic sounding types of genres: Folk metal and real Gothenburg (At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity) and give all of their musicians excellent musicianship, and you will get the sound presented on this album.

A couple of weeks ago I was listening to Music Choice when all of a sudden this song entitled "Grey Sublime Archon" came on and was blown away. It's an excellent blend of folk insturments, growls and clean vocals, and the Gothenburg-ish guitar riffs. The growl/sung chorus comes in with "Gray Sublime Archon I've been called. . ." gave me goosebumps and is an example of when combining growls and clean vocals is a good idea. (a bad example of when it goes wrong being In Flames)

So I bought this album and all I have to say is that it is just as epic as that track. "Inis Mona" with its deep sung chorus and beautiful flute playing the melody, the many wonderfully put together insturmentals, and the song "Slania's Song" with female vocals really stick out to me.

Even the weakest track imo is amazing. "The Somber Lay" is an extremely strong track like the others, but the folk insturments in the chorus of the song sometimes sound like they're going all over the place and like there is too much going on. It was sort of an awkward listen, but still an excellent track.

Overall, if you like Dark Tranquillity, Finntroll, Moonsorrow, any other folk metal bands, get this album. You won't be disappointed.

I caught these guys live a week or so ago, they were one of the bands opening for Kataklysm and Dying Fetus. I had never heard of them before and WOW did they put o a hell of a show, I bought the CD immediately after their set was over and have not stopped listening to it since. I have been a fan of Korpiklani for a while now but I think I like their style of folk metal better. Great mix of metal guitars and old style instruments (bagpipes, flutes, violin, hurdygurdy). It works so well give them a shot, the CD sounds great but they sound even better in person!

It has been exactly 48:42 minutes since I bought the album (plus the time taken to write this review). I found the band on Amazon, saw the six 5-star reviews, and decided to take the plunge and buy the album.

Now let me say that although I'm into melodeath bigtime, I've never been a huge fan of folk metal. I however do occassionally listen to soft folk rock like The Corrs. So I was stunned, no, OVERWHELMED, when I heard Eluveitie blend folk elements so seamlessly with melodic death metal.

There are flutes, oh yes. Violins? Think so. Plus a bunch of other funny (albeit pleasant) noises too. All together with melodious guitar lines and great vocals (there's even one with female vocals). The net output is a whole new level of awesomeness, which is quite surprising from a relatively unknown band.

So, while my review is clearly not what might be considered well-thought out, I wanted to "weigh in" here on how cool this album is. If you like melodic death metal, you're going to LOVE this. In fact, the track 'Bloodstained Ground' would have almost been indistinguishable from a Dark Tranquillity track (but then the incredible folk stuff kicked in :P).

Recommended tracks: Inis Mona, Bloodstained Ground, hell... all of them :).

PS: It's the not-yet-popular bands like these that need your support (and money) the most! Please please buy the album if you like it after listening to a few of the songs.

Let me start off by just saying that Slania is probably my favorite album ever. I stumbled across the video for Inis Mona (the 3rd track on Slania) and was completely and utterly blown away by Eluveitie's incredible sound. I was never a huge fan of death metal vocals, but Eluveitie is absolutely phenomenal. The mix of the folk music, including flutes, hurdygurdy, bagpipes etc with hard and fast metal is complex, beautiful, catchy and utterly addictive. It may sound like I'm exaggerating, but I'm being completely sincere when I say that Eluveitie's Slania, is one of the best albums I've ever heard.

Eluveitie have created the most immediately listenable and enjoyable metal cd I have ever heard. Am I heaping too much praise on this band? No! I can't begin to explain how incredible this cd actually is. People, The 30 second samples don't do this justice. I played this cd in the music store where my wife works and the customers were drawn over to the speakers that we were standing beside (we had it playing very low at first) and by the end of the song customers were asking us to turn it up! I guarantee you will enjoy this if you buy it! Spread the word!

I cannot say enough good things about this album. This is the perfect blending of Melodic Death Metal and Celtic Folk. I look at it this way: If you took out the folk elements from Eluveitie's sound, you would have a classic Melodic Death album that would sound a lot like circa 90's Dark Tranquility mixed with Whoracle by In Flames. But with the Celtic folk mixed in, you have a sound that is truly unique to this band and this band alone. Out of a scene that is finally getting its due, they are at the forefront of this Celtic folk movement along with Primordial, Suidakra, and Waylander.

However, what makes this band truly special in the fact that they mix a reconstructed Gaulish language. While for some this may turn away, it adds an atmosphere to the music that I have not heard since Primordial's "Imrama" all the way back in 1995.

There is only one thing that I can fault it on: The guitar solo on the final track is tremendous, and I think that there could have been a better show in the guitar work. Flute solos are great, so are mandolin and violin solos. But their two guitarist obviously have talent enough to write great solos, so they should highlight that.

Beyond that, this is a perfect follow up to "Spirit". It is their Whoracle.

... of Folk Metal with a little "something else". It is hard to describe Eluveitie. The way i do it is Folk Metal meets Death Metal or Melodic Death Metal. the only difference is that the melodic part, the lead is with instruments such as violin, pipes, or hurdy gurdy.

The same rings true throughout their new album. i cannot begin to tell you how many times i have listened to this album since it's release. this is a very solid album with only a few minor gripes such as what i feel to be poor placement of pinch harmonics in the second track. but for most people that won't be a problem, it isn't for me, i just think they could have been left out.

Without going into extensive detail, i suggest everyone interested in Folk Metal buy this, even though it has some Death Metal to it.

A must buy!

Eluveitie have taken a giant leap forward with "Slania". While their previous efforts were quite good, this album is in the big leagues, with the very best of Ensiferum, Turisas, Korpiklaani, and Finntroll, to name a few outstanding folk metal bands. (And if you enjoy "Slania", you will enjoy those bands, except maybe not the most recent Finntroll release from 2007, which is mainly guitar-based, but try Finntroll's "Nattfodd" or any of their other albums for a great, fun, folk metal thrill!)..."Slania" is excellent because is really rocks HARD on most tracks, with death-growl vocals, yet at the same time many traditional instruments are used throughout the album, giving it NOT so much a viking sound as a medieval sound that is really lovely. If you like any of those bands I mentioned above, this album is an absolute MUST!

This album is so good. I usually don't like music like this (tempo, high metal vocals) but Eluveitie is an exception. I ususally only listen to bands like Opeth and stay clear of most of the new cloned crap thats coming out, but Eluveitie is, again, an exception, and a great one at that. They are so good. The other reviewer is 100% correct saying that the 30 second samples don't do it justice. If you like originality, metal, melodies to die for, and overall just some great metal, then buy the mp3 album. Its a bargain for how good this band sounds.

Favorite song so far is between Grey Sublime Archon, and Bloodstained Ground. I can't decide... they're just great songs. A+

Let's just start with the executive summary: I was out of breath by the time I finished listening to this album.

It's intense, melodic, and brutal, and the production really brings out all the aspects of the songs. Vocals are great, both the male growler and the female singer. It's as if Killswitch Engage went to Inis Mona and all became Druids (and one of the songs is about an old Druid reminiscing on his days learning the secrets of nature there). Lyrics are really meaningful and many of them are in the ancient Celtic language Gaulish.

I really can't recommend this album enough. Who would have thought Switzerland, the country of international banking and neutral foreign relations, could produce such a powerful and inspired group of musicians!