Happy St. Patrick's Day - Initial Impressions: Eluveitie: Helvetios

Well it's a good day to take a look at the newest album from Celtic folk metal/melodeath band Eluveitie. I figure green beer and Eluveitie probably go hand in hand.

Well my feelings on this one closely echo what Full Metal Attorney says here. That is, I feel like Eluveitie is treading water and is desperately trying to recapture the magic of Slania. This was manifested on their last album when they basically re-released Slania. This time around, it is clear that there is some differentiation from their landmark album, but not enough real growth. In fact, Eluveitie seems to prefer trying to pick up on some modern rock influences. Such attempts to make their music palatable to the unwashed masses is sure to meet with a cold shoulder from longtime fans.

The other major problem with the album is that a lot of the songs just sort of run together. I was shocked when I looked at my CD player and realized I was already on track 6. It only felt like I had been listening for about five minutes. There are a few standout tracks here and there, but a lot of the stuff is all too samey-sounding.

Eluveitie still does a decent job of mixing melodeath and Celtic folk music and some of the songs do still sound really good. Unfortunately, the band's material does not sound as fresh as it did on their breakthrough release. I may still continue to check out albums by them because I am a big fan of the Celtic folk metal, but they are not likely to ever blow me away as they did the first time I heard them. That is quite unfortunate.