Eluveitie puts an end to our wait.
Six years after their last album, Chrigel Glanzmann (vocals/guitars/folk instruments), Kay Brem (bass), Rafael Salzmann (guitar), Alain Ackermann (drums), Jonas Wolf (guitar), Fabienne Erni (harp/mandolin) and Lea-Sophie Fischer (hurdy-gurdy/violin) are back in force with Ànv, their ninth album.
The album welcomes us with Emerge, a mysterious introduction that lets the rhythm slowly emerge, leading us to Taranoías, the first track where we realize one thing: the sound is much heavier! The Death Melodic influences take on a whole new dimension, without overshadowing the Folk elements or the occasional clean vocals, which return to the mix as soon as The Prodigal Ones begins, charging in with jerky riffs. The track remains accessible, however, except for the devastating flare-up, and then the eponymous Ànv provides a welcome touch of sweetness, with Fabienne taking center stage, surrounded by a few airy backing vocals. Premonition returns to the band’s aggressive roots, which become much more virulent with the new mix, but once again the folk instruments add their lighter touch before leaving us to breathe on Awen and its majority clear vocals, which still make a little room for howls in the backing vocals. An acoustic interlude with Anamcara, where guitars and keyboards welcome a narrator, then The Harvest lets us return to saturation and violence with lively riffs over which the screams take their place, but which are interrupted again by Memories of Innocence and its more festive touches. Cheerful violins and percussion turn to pure melancholy as All Is One begins, sounding like the album’s power ballad with a few saturated parts, then Aeon of the Crescent Moon follows, revealing a slice of darkness before returning to the furious sounds, coupling the two to create an eerie groove. The album comes to a close with The Prophecy, which opens with intriguing mystical sounds and dark backing vocals, but is rounded off by imposing riffs in which the two vocalists unleash and answer each other right to the end.
The Digibook edition features additional tracks: the overpowering Aidvs and Exile of the Gods, which the band had already unveiled in 2022 and which both already had us headbanging thanks to their heavy rhythms with energetic roots – albeit with that playful touch for the latter – but also Epona, which also emphasizes the more danceable influences. Last but not least, Venez Danser is a much softer fourth composition, where the French language takes center stage between the thick, motivating riffs.
There’s no doubt for Eluveitie that 2025 is their year! With Anv, the band will be ravaging the roads wherever they play, once again enhancing the reputation of the Swiss horde!
90/100