My fist comment when checking out the new album from Swiss folk metal veterans Eluveitie’s new album is that it’s 16 songs. Yeah no I’m going to struggle here.
I like folk metal, in small doses, Chrigel Glanzmann (vocals, whistles, mandola, bagpipes, bodhran) has all but spearheaded the use of traditional instruments in the metal scene, swapping and changing members of the band throughout the years, it’s his vocals and song writing that is the heart of why the band have been going so long and as the years have passed they’ve managed to forge a sound that owes as much to the folk metal scene as it does the modern metal scene.
Every guitar driven riff, breakdown and blast is accompanied by whistles, fiddles, bagpipes and more, Chrigel’s growls usually counterpointed by some female voices as added melody, the gothic style of Amaranthe, Evanescence or Lacuna Coil instantly noticeable on Taranoias and the synth metal style of The Prodigal Ones. It’s all part of the idea that on this record Eluveiete look to explore further reaches of the metalsphere, deciding that the current electronic-driven heavy grooves are what they want to concentrate on, while retaining their folk metal roots too in the classic ‘Elu’ sounding tracks such as Awen, again using ancient mythology to inspire the lyrics.
It's 16 songs, a few are little interludes to lead in other songs keeping you on the journey, but I don’t really see Eluveite doing anything they haven’t for years, their movements towards what’s popular in the symphonic genre are natural progression but it doesn’t have anything radical about it. Still long term fans will love it and it will gain new fans from the modern side and appreciate the flutes, fiddles, harps etc. 7/10
Ancient Bards – Artifex (Limb Music) [Matt Bladen]
Italian symphonic metal seems to be a genre of its own. There are So. Many. Bands but Ancient Bards are surely the most bombastic.
Their new album Artifex has the cinematic tropes of Ayreon, a sprawling concept that’s as proggy as it comes, bass solo in the first song, My Prima Nox anyone? But build on melodies and chorus hooks. The architect of these songs is composer and keyboardist Daniele Mazza, his creative vision seeps into every track on Artifex.
Like a film score, there’s string embellishments, swathes of orchestration and 46 piece choir, the NSDF Choir all featured prominently but even with all this, the band never lose their heaviness, the metal parts bite hard, the gruff growls a positive addition, however with all the choirs lead vocalist may have been a little overlooked, well this is not the case.
Sara Squadrani soars majestically on Artifex and is a special vocalist who has bags of power but more importantly a passionate delivery and adaptability. Whether duetting with Wind Rose’s Francesco Cavalieri or Epica’s Mark Jansen, she has a voice that would suit Broadway rather than opera but that’s not a slight at all because she is a fantastic singer. Unending for instance has the fragility and anthemic delivery of a Eurovision ballad via a Disney one.
Artifex is part II of The Black Crystal Sword Saga and closes this chapter with true majesty. Ancient Bards are a revered name in Italian symphonic metal as Artifex also features solo violin from Winterage’s Gabriele Boschi and solo guitar from DGM’s Simone Mularoni on Soulbound Symphony.
I’ve overlooked their albums in the past but I won’t be from now on, Artifex is a brilliant record that needs to be heard if you claim to love symphonic metal. 10/10
Artifex is part II of The Black Crystal Sword Saga and closes this chapter with true majesty. Ancient Bards are a revered name in Italian symphonic metal as Artifex also features solo violin from Winterage’s Gabriele Boschi and solo guitar from DGM’s Simone Mularoni on Soulbound Symphony.
I’ve overlooked their albums in the past but I won’t be from now on, Artifex is a brilliant record that needs to be heard if you claim to love symphonic metal. 10/10
Vomitizer - Release The Rats (Undercover Records) [Mark Young]
And some more old school death metal!! The PR notes that this is a concept album which doesn’t really infuse me with a warm and fuzzy feeling as I press play given that I have fallen out of love a little with death metal in either school.
And some more old school death metal!! The PR notes that this is a concept album which doesn’t really infuse me with a warm and fuzzy feeling as I press play given that I have fallen out of love a little with death metal in either school.
I fully expect this to come in and be a full-on assault from the off and to be fair opening track A Wonderful World To Destroy comes in and does a decent job of opening their account with a mix of the straightforward brutality and a little bit of discord. It has trem picking which is always welcome but I won’t say it is a frenetic blast that I had expected.
Rat Religion starts in the same excited manner but rather than go down that route they offer something a little bit different with a more expansive build which shows they are not just content with doing old school, they are trying to put their own stamp on things which I love. Now there is a film called Night of the Rats, mid 80’s gore film where survivors of an apocalypse live out in the ruins of a destroyed city and try to avoid rats which have a taste for human flesh.
The ending is something else and if that film has had any influence on this in any way, then its bonus points for Vomitizer. Elsewhere, The Church Of Rats brings a stomp to proceedings but mixed up with some quality riffing that gives it a feeling of propulsion within its steady pace.
In other releases where bands do this slower approach it comes across as being pedestrian but with this, they manage to keep that feeling of movement going infusing it with an interesting build. Bearing in mind that this is their debut release, they have managed to make it sound heavy without using that as a one-trick pony, making sure that they balance that heaviness with having something worthwhile to say.
As we move on, there is a trio of shorter hits, with Rattus Rittualis/Pestilence (The Sickness)/Indulge Into Chaos which together form a well thought out and executed blast of death metal and when you think about it, it is a neat trick. It provides a necessary pick-me up with three songs that come in and do what they need to do without being bogged down with repeated measures and gives them room to breathe before bringing back their longer efforts which form the later part of the album. There’s no doubt that they could have made each one longer, but the impact from them would have diminished.
The Reek Of Death represents a change in approach from the old school, it leans more into classic Death with how the bass is punching through and a crawling measure gives it chance to really land with you and again It shows that they have a lot of tools at their disposal because it would have been so easy to go with a slow into fast tempo with this. Having that confidence in their abilities is great to hear as they avoid some of the pitfalls faced by others who are coming from an old school focus.
As we move on, there is a trio of shorter hits, with Rattus Rittualis/Pestilence (The Sickness)/Indulge Into Chaos which together form a well thought out and executed blast of death metal and when you think about it, it is a neat trick. It provides a necessary pick-me up with three songs that come in and do what they need to do without being bogged down with repeated measures and gives them room to breathe before bringing back their longer efforts which form the later part of the album. There’s no doubt that they could have made each one longer, but the impact from them would have diminished.
The Reek Of Death represents a change in approach from the old school, it leans more into classic Death with how the bass is punching through and a crawling measure gives it chance to really land with you and again It shows that they have a lot of tools at their disposal because it would have been so easy to go with a slow into fast tempo with this. Having that confidence in their abilities is great to hear as they avoid some of the pitfalls faced by others who are coming from an old school focus.
They keep this going on Something Dark And Bloody Did Indeed Occur (and what a cool song title is that?) which has an arrangement to suit the brilliant title. Again, its not reaching super sonic speeds but the way that the double bass and riffology kicks together is spot on. It gives that feeling of speed that is vital for this music and if I’m honest they could have shaved a minute from it but that’s me being overly critical of them.
There is some mint chord choices in here plus some old school brutality too. Its pitched together so well and then suddenly we are at the end, with Raw Meat and Wicked Supremacy both coming in hot. Raw Meat is a sub two-minute blast that comes in and does a job of kicking that energy up a notch whilst Wicked Supremacy is a tightly wrapped closed fist that knows it has to make sure that their closing statement is a worthy one. It is probably the album condensed into one song – brutality, intelligent guitar work and comes in at the right length.
I have to say that I’m impressed with the work on here, it mixes in all of the good things you want from death metal and what’s more it is a debut that is fully formed and a worthy listen. It stands them in great stead for their next steps, brilliant stuff!! 9/10
Disfuneral - In Horror, Reborn (Redefining Darkness Records) [Mark Young]
Ok doke, now for a slice of French death metal. Disfuneral present their second LP for your delight, and I think that just by looking at the song titles you will be able to get a handle on exactly where they are coming from, which is of the old school variety. They note that fans of Aborted, Death Breath and Necrot will vibe on this and whilst I can’t speak for those it does have a welcome feel to it without doing anything new. And really, I don’t think you can do anything new with this, especially if you come with a narrow focus on what you want to sound like.
Disfuneral - In Horror, Reborn (Redefining Darkness Records) [Mark Young]
Ok doke, now for a slice of French death metal. Disfuneral present their second LP for your delight, and I think that just by looking at the song titles you will be able to get a handle on exactly where they are coming from, which is of the old school variety. They note that fans of Aborted, Death Breath and Necrot will vibe on this and whilst I can’t speak for those it does have a welcome feel to it without doing anything new. And really, I don’t think you can do anything new with this, especially if you come with a narrow focus on what you want to sound like.
Catacomb Dwellers is a fairly typical opening track, with a drawn out start which is built for kicking their live shows off and to their credit it does sound like death metal from the early 90’s, especially the drums which have that percussive ‘thud’ to them. What this one does is set up the second track Tombs Vomiting The Dead after it speeds up (with typically atonal solo) and for me that speed was required straight from the off. Tombs... hits more like an opening track and rushes along at the velocity that fits this music. What it does do is follow a similar tack to Catacomb in that the lead break comes in at the end, which is fine but does it set a precedent for the rest of the album to follow?
Ripped From Within is next up and it sees them take up a slower groove with the leads coming in the middle (better) but with a and I’m sorry to say pedestrian feel. There are blasts of speed in there but there’s nothing in there that is grabbing me and generally I have a feeling of apathy that is settling in. You need this kind of music to be visceral, exciting and nasty and what I am getting is the opposite of that.
Ripped From Within is next up and it sees them take up a slower groove with the leads coming in the middle (better) but with a and I’m sorry to say pedestrian feel. There are blasts of speed in there but there’s nothing in there that is grabbing me and generally I have a feeling of apathy that is settling in. You need this kind of music to be visceral, exciting and nasty and what I am getting is the opposite of that.
Crypt Of Demented follows in much the same manner as Ripped, that slower tempo dominating the early parts until they really put the brakes on for the really slow bit that telegraphs the incoming speed and lead break. I know there are fans of old school death metal, as there are fans of old school in general but Christ if you are going to focus this way make it more engaging, do more with the supposed confines of what old school it but make it interesting.
Extremity In Morbidity picks up the pace a little, and that increase pays dividends for them with a song that is more immediate and engaging than the others that came before (Tombs notwithstanding). This is what I expect and yes doesn’t say anything new it is done with an intent that has been missing. With that in mind I’m hoping that they can keep that going, and on Dark Ages Ritual they revert back to that slower speed once more that follows that well worn path of bursting into life for a spell before dropping back to its starting point.
In contrast, Blessed By Decay kicks off at pace, and like extremity has a lot going for it in getting that energy up and keeping it there. There are some cracking melody lines in this, delivered with urgent intent until they slow it down again. I can understand why they are doing it but it does nothing except suck the energy out of it and with it goes my interest. Title track In Horror, Reborn starts as I’d hoped, and keeps it going but it’s not enough for me to have departed from being switched on with this. They finish with Call From The Void, which is a good song to end on, but it opens a debate on where was this intent all the way through?
On the whole, there is no escaping that they have achieved what they wanted with this, it is a death metal album that acts exactly like death metal sounded like in its early phase. This is part of the problem I have with it. There was a lot of albums released that were just boring to sit through because they missed the point about what death metal was about (at least at that point). It has to be aggressive, violent in intent and driven in order to satisfy what we wanted to hear. It sounds as good as you expect it too, but with the number of slower songs on there my interest started to wane early on.
On the whole, there is no escaping that they have achieved what they wanted with this, it is a death metal album that acts exactly like death metal sounded like in its early phase. This is part of the problem I have with it. There was a lot of albums released that were just boring to sit through because they missed the point about what death metal was about (at least at that point). It has to be aggressive, violent in intent and driven in order to satisfy what we wanted to hear. It sounds as good as you expect it too, but with the number of slower songs on there my interest started to wane early on.
You can’t please everyone and I’m sure that there will be those who will love this because of what it represents. For me it represents a missed opportunity because on those tracks that do bring the speed they are very good. 6/10
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