Eluveitie
Everything Remains (As It Never Was)

The album subject of my review is the latest effort from the Swiss Eluveitie, one of the most representative bands of the so-called folk metal.

"Everything remains (as it never was)", from 2010, follows Slania (2008) and the acoustic album "Evocation: the arcane dominion" (2009), almost a experimental parenthesis. The essence of Eluveitie's music, which blends metal with folk melodies, as well as the themes addressed in their lyrics, have remained unchanged; however, the difference compared to "Slania" is, in my opinion, significant. The impression I got from listening was that of greater "catchiness", derived I believe from a certain simplification of the structures of the individual tracks (especially in the parts entrusted to traditional instruments, but also in the rhythm section), which in some cases, however, resulted in not very convincing outcomes (I found tracks like "Lugdunon" or "Isara" a bit weak).

Undoubtedly, the band's move to Nuclear Blast may have at least partially shaped the album's profile, which on one hand remains a product of certainly good quality, but on the other suffers, in my opinion, from the desire to appeal to a broader audience, perhaps not entirely familiar with certain sounds of the early Eluveitie. In other words, I did not find the strength and freshness of "Spirit" or "Slania", but rather too many clichés and a certain predictability.

In summary: if you want to appreciate Eluveitie at their best, listen to the previous albums, particularly "Slania". That said, "Everything remains (as it never was)" remains a good album in the folk metal scene, worthy of a listen.