Swiss folk metallers Eluveitie will release their next album, the long-awaited second part of their acoustic concept effort ‘Evocation II – Pantheon” on August 18 via Nuclear Blast.
The band has just released the official music video for the first single off the new record, “Epona”. It was shot in and around the city of Avenches, in the south west of Switzerland. This city is, especially for Eluveitie, very rich in history as it was once called Aventicum, the capital of the Celtic Tigurini (who were part of the Helvetii tribe) and therefore also the home of one of the most iridescent characters of Celtic history: The mighty sovereign Divico who was brave enough to conquer the Roman emperor Gaius Julius Cäesar. His actions often appear in songs from Eluveitie. The clip was produced by Jason Sereftug-Borruso (writer, director) and Alexis Gudinchet (assistant director).
“We’re super happy and proud to present you ‘Epona’ — the first single of our upcoming album, ‘Evocation II – Pantheon’!” states Eluveitie frontman Chrigel Glanzmann. “The song is an ode to the riding goddess queen of the Celtic pantheon! And this not only lyrically. Also musically, for even though ‘Epona’ is an acoustic track, the song surges ahead with verve, power and speed and dashes like a galloping horse! It is a good song to give you a first glimpse of the raw, wild, honest, very folky and thoroughly Celtic character of ‘Evocation II – Pantheon’!”
“Evocation II” conjures another time travel to eras long gone. As the title already reveals, the concept of the first opus will continue and is entirely dedicated to the Celtic mythology. Even more, “Evocation II” takes you into the Gallic pantheon and bows down to the Celtic Gods after which the song titles are named. Anyone who will join Eluveitie on this journey will quickly notice that the character of each song is equal to the one of the god the song is about — and there is a lot more to discover!
Glanzmann stated about the new CD: “‘Evocation II’ is a journey back to the source of it all: Antumnos, the otherworld. Join us on this wayfare through the Celtic pantheon, the world of the gods of our ancestors! The album cover expresses nothing less but exactly this! It’s full of symbolism and meaning and depicts things of deepest meaning and importance in Celtic mythology. The symbol contains the ‘great wheel’, symbolizing the wheel of the year with the four seasons and the equinoxes — forming the foundations of Celtic mythology. The great wheel is framed by a tripartite Enneagram; while three is an important number in Celtic mythology in general, we also face trinity in the Celtic pantheon! While the inner circle contains the initials of the names of the deities revered on this album — arranged tripartitedly according to their relations within the pantheon and place in the mythology — the outer circle utters an invitation as well as a blessing, a magical benediction for the one to dare to enter and set forth on this journey. The core of the symbol implies triune symbolism. The depiction shows the god Lugus, who was sometimes also adressed in the plural — Lugoves — since he’s a triune god, as well as a tricephalos. The ‘one with the skillful hand’ and ‘artisan of all skills’ is depicted and a combination of two important symbols: On the one hand he’s shown as ‘high king’ (and druid of druids), a typical gallic symbolism of an essential meaning and sigificance. On the other hand, he’s framed by the gallic ‘lord of the animals/lord of life’ symbolism: The character surrounded with diverse animals, but being strongly connected with all of them at the same time. So after all, the album cover vibrantly and mystically expresses the content of ‘Evocation II’! Join and let the journey begin!”
Eluveitie in May 2016 announced the departure of drummer Merlin Sutter, vocalist Anna Murphy and guitarist Ivo Henzi.
The band’s latest album, “Origins”, was released in August 2014 via Nuclear Blast Records. The effort was once again recorded at New Sound Studio in Pfäffikon, a municipality in the canton of Zurich in Switzerland, with producer Tommy Vetterli (a.k.a. Tommy T. Baron; Coroner/ex-Kretaor guitarist).
Our review of “Origins” can be found here.
Current line-up:
* Jonas Wolf (guitar)
* Matteo Sisti (whistles, bagpipes, mandola)
* Nicole Ansperger (fiddle)
* Alain Ackermann (drums)
* Chrigel Glanzmann (vocals, whistles, mandola, bagpipes, bodhran)
* Fabienne Erni (vocals, celtic harp, mandola)
* Kay Brem (bass)
* Michalina Malisz (hurdy gurdy)
* Rafael Salzmann (guitar)
The new lineup of Eluveitie made its live debut at the Eluveitie & Friends festival in January at Z7 in Pratteln, Switzerland.
Upcoming Shows:
Jul 06 Resurrection Fest Viveiro, Spain
Jul 08 Rockharz Open Air Ballenstedt, Germany
Jul 15 La Guerre Du Son Landresse, France
Aug 05 Metal For Emergency Filago, Italy
Aug 11 Brutal Assault Jaromer, Czech Republic
Aug 18 Summer Breeze Sinbronn, Germany
Aug 20 Motocultor Festival Séné, France
Sep 16 Cidre & Dragon Festival Merville Franceville Plage, France
Oct 25 MAXIMUM EVOCATION 2017, Parma, Italy
Oct 26 MAXIMUM EVOCATION 2017, Budapest, Hungary
Oct 27 MAXIMUM EVOCATION 2017, Warsaw, Poland
Oct 28 MAXIMUM EVOCATION 2017, Zlin, Czech Republic
Oct 29 MAXIMUM EVOCATION 2017, Vienna, Austria
Oct 30 MAXIMUM EVOCATION 2017, Stuttgart, Germany
Oct 31 MAXIMUM EVOCATION 2017, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Nov 02 MAXIMUM EVOCATION 2017, Paris, France
Nov 03 MAXIMUM EVOCATION 2017, London, United Kingdom
Nov 04 MAXIMUM EVOCATION 2017, Eindhoven, Netherlands
Nov 05 MAXIMUM EVOCATION 2017, Antwerp, Belgium
Nov 06 MAXIMUM EVOCATION 2017, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
Nov 08 MAXIMUM EVOCATION 2017, Berlin, Germany
Nov 09 MAXIMUM EVOCATION 2017, Munich, Germany
Nov 10 MAXIMUM EVOCATION 2017, Leipzig, Germany
Nov 11 Metal Hammer Paradise Wangels, Germany
Nov 12 MAXIMUM EVOCATION 2017, Bochum, Germany
Dec 30 Halle 622 Zurich, Switzerland
Feb 19. 2018 Vladivostok, San Remo
Feb 21. 2018 Irkutsk, Dikaya Loshad’
Feb 22. 2018 Novosibirsk, Otdyh
Feb 23. 2018 Omsk, Angar
Feb 24. 2018 Ekaterinburg, Teleclub
Feb 25. 2018 Ufa, Music Hall
Feb 26. 2018 Samara, Zvezda
Feb 27. 2018 Yaroslavl, Gorka
Feb 28. 2018 Krasnodar, Arena Hall
March 01. 2018 Voronezh, Colosseum
March 02, 2018 Moscow, Yotaspace
March 03. 2018 St.Petersburg, Aurora
March 04. 2018 Kiev, Atlas
March 05. 2018 Chernomors, Metropolis
Weblinks: Website / Facebook / Twitter
Video for ‘Epona’