Eluveitie @ Manchester Sound Control Review

Folk metal truly is a bizarre concept, as people never would expect death metal to be combined with Celtic and traditional folk music. However, it is and Eluveitie are one of the titans of the genre and their performance tonight showcased musical quality at the highest level.

With Origins being released back in August it came to no surprise that the band would focus large portions of their stage time to performing songs from the new record; it’s a bold move and the crowd backed them to the helm. Opener King sent the crowd into a frenzy and every track that was played from Origins was met by thunderous applause, it showcases Eluveitie’s popularity in the metal scene and truly highlights their musicianship. Fan favourites were still present, with at least one song from every record making an appearance and this was was the band’s best moments on stage. Whilst the new material was well received, older material was lapped up with great satisfaction. For example, Inis Mona sent the packed venue into a frenzy, with combinations of headbanging and folk dancing making it an incredible sight to witness. It’s bizarre yet brilliant!

With the band featuring eight performers on stage all combining to build their unique sound it wouldn’t be a surprise if the end product came out a little flat. Folk metal is complicated enough on record, but performing live is an even greater task. It was therefore incredibly satisfying to see that Eluveitie were on absolutely top form with every member of the band performing to the highest level of musical quality, the combination of the folk and metal elements to their sound blended perfectly providing an incredible live music experience. Frontman Chrigel’s vocal performance was incredible with every growl and snarl replicating their studio sound and Anna Murphy played the hurdy gurdy to what we expect to be a fine musical performance.

Folk metal truly is a unique and odd sub-genre of heavy metal. However Eluveitie showcased that the combination truly can be an incredible thing to witness live. With every element of their unique sound hit to absolute perfection, the packed venue experienced one of the most refreshingly unique bands in heavy metal. It was bizarre and a little baffling but it was bloody brilliant! (9)