ELUVEITIE - Evocation II - Pantheon
September 20, 2017, 7 years ago
(Nuclear Blast)
So your band just lost a few members including a longtime vocalist. What’s the obvious solution? Inject some new blood and create an all acoustic album 8 years after the first one. A weird, but overall not a bad decision by Eluveitie. There is no metal to be found here and this album isn’t for everybody, but it doesn’t have to be.
There a lot of folksy tunes as new singer Fabienne Erni is introduced gloriously with the infectious, danceable “Epona”. The Celtic influence is pronounced throughout with bagpipes, hurdy gurdy, whistles, and harp being the main instruments. A good chunk of 53 minutes is taken up by musical passages bringing forth different moods like the jungle, war beat of “Catvrix”, the upbeat “Aventia”, and the Blackmore’s Night-esque “Antvmnos”.
On the other side of the spectrum, Erni shows just how capable she is with the smooth “Ogmios”, the traditional “Lvgvs”, and the wailing “Artio”. A truly impressive voice she possesses. In fact she dominates most of the vocals as Eluveitie rarely utilizes the dueling male vocals.
Evocation II is a pleasant listening experience and it’s wonderful to see a band again show a different side of themselves. We’ll always have the full-on metal assault to go back to anytime. For now, grab a bottle, sit back, and enjoy the music.
