Eluveitie Ven EP
Fear Dark Records FD014 August 2004
By Jason Jordan
Lets get one thing straight: I would not want to be a part of Eluveities touring crew, as they have approximately ten members and twice as many instruments. Some of the more interesting ones are as follows: mouth harp, Irish bouzouki, Irish flute, Helvetic bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, Irish bagpipes, bodhran (?), fiddles, guitars, bass, drums, and male/female vocals alike. Ven is a re-release given quite a facelift to enhance its affableness and is a slab of Celtic/pagan metal thats entirely capable of forcing knees to buckle with its adeptness.
Unfortunately, Ven only lasts for about twenty-five minutes, which left me panting for more. Still, the ascension to that specific amount of time is glorious in its own right. D Veritu Agage D Bitu sets the mood fervently by utilizing chants and trance-inducing drums, and then suddenly jumps into Celtic-heavy instrumentation. To say the leadoff is pleasing would be doing it a disservice; its so much more than that. At any rate, moving along, Uis Elveti has plenty of distortion and electronic meanderings for those who enjoy juxtaposition between acoustic and electronic forms of music. The bagpipes are very apparent during much of Uis Elveti and Oro, but the latter is bolstered by natural sounds like rivers flowing, thunder booming, and lightning striking. The entrances and exits of the instruments all recurring provide a nice change of scenery, if you will, and the heaviest moments of Ven have evidently been derived from At the Gates. Lament, conversely, has excellent presence due in part to the commanding fiddle orchestrations, and the addition of the flute means youve got quite a song. Similarly, Druid has a jig quality about it as well as a distinct thrashiness, whereas Jezaig is more doom-oriented than anything heard previously.
While it may seem, according to my descriptions, that Eluveitie are all-over-the-board, they truly arent. Ven parallels much of what the Celtic/pagan metal subgenre has to offer, and its supremely enjoyable in the ways that count. I must confess that this isnt my favorite subcategory of metal, but nevertheless these six opuses are rousing and worthy of exultation.
8.5/10
Official Eluveitie Website
Official Fear Dark Records Website
Fear Dark Records FD014 August 2004
By Jason Jordan
Lets get one thing straight: I would not want to be a part of Eluveities touring crew, as they have approximately ten members and twice as many instruments. Some of the more interesting ones are as follows: mouth harp, Irish bouzouki, Irish flute, Helvetic bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, Irish bagpipes, bodhran (?), fiddles, guitars, bass, drums, and male/female vocals alike. Ven is a re-release given quite a facelift to enhance its affableness and is a slab of Celtic/pagan metal thats entirely capable of forcing knees to buckle with its adeptness.
Unfortunately, Ven only lasts for about twenty-five minutes, which left me panting for more. Still, the ascension to that specific amount of time is glorious in its own right. D Veritu Agage D Bitu sets the mood fervently by utilizing chants and trance-inducing drums, and then suddenly jumps into Celtic-heavy instrumentation. To say the leadoff is pleasing would be doing it a disservice; its so much more than that. At any rate, moving along, Uis Elveti has plenty of distortion and electronic meanderings for those who enjoy juxtaposition between acoustic and electronic forms of music. The bagpipes are very apparent during much of Uis Elveti and Oro, but the latter is bolstered by natural sounds like rivers flowing, thunder booming, and lightning striking. The entrances and exits of the instruments all recurring provide a nice change of scenery, if you will, and the heaviest moments of Ven have evidently been derived from At the Gates. Lament, conversely, has excellent presence due in part to the commanding fiddle orchestrations, and the addition of the flute means youve got quite a song. Similarly, Druid has a jig quality about it as well as a distinct thrashiness, whereas Jezaig is more doom-oriented than anything heard previously.
While it may seem, according to my descriptions, that Eluveitie are all-over-the-board, they truly arent. Ven parallels much of what the Celtic/pagan metal subgenre has to offer, and its supremely enjoyable in the ways that count. I must confess that this isnt my favorite subcategory of metal, but nevertheless these six opuses are rousing and worthy of exultation.
8.5/10
Official Eluveitie Website
Official Fear Dark Records Website
