As a kid growing up I always wanted
to be in a Metal band and be the lead guitarist or vocalist, hell I’d even go
for bass or drums. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever considered
playing violin or flute or…the hurdy gurdy? I suppose,
as an American it stands to reason I’d never consider such a thing as our
American culture is pretty shallow in contrast to that of Europe. For a band such as Switzerland’s Eluveitie
though it falls in their path to do just that and thus the eight member clan
carries in their ranks a hoard of instrumentation one wouldn’t readily expect
in a Metal band including the aforementioned Violin, Flute and HudyGurdy (coffee grinder) as
well as Bagpipes and for the more precise terminology try these on for size - Tin
& Low Whistles, Mandola, Uilleann
Pipes, Gaita, Redpipes, Bodhràn. Truth is I’ve never heard of most of these and I’m
sure I’m not alone either. Regardless of the bands additional instrumentation’s,
they are still very much a metal band with Guitars, Drums and Death Metal
vocals but with a brilliant new dimension taken in the evolution of the genre.
I recently had the pleasure of seeing the band live during their U.S. jaunt
with AmonAmarth
and had the opportunity to sit down with frontman and band mastermind ChrigelGlanzmann for an in depth
chat about the bands cultural origins the passion of their music vs. the religious
connotations of their lyrical direction as well as their opinion on the state
of Metal as it pertains to their American audience. Take a listen.
