Neha Patil (Editor)

Helvetios

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Length
  
59:12

Artist
  
Eluveitie

Label
  
Nuclear Blast

Helvetios (2012)
  
Origins (2014)

Release date
  
10 February 2012

Helvetios httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaencc3Elu

Released
  
February 10, 2012 (2012-02-10)

Recorded
  
2011 at New Sound Studio, Pfäffikon

Producer
  
Tommy Vetterli, Eluveitie

Genres
  
Folk metal, Melodic death metal, Pagan metal, Celtic metal

Similar
  
Eluveitie albums, Folk metal albums, Other albums

Helvetios is the fifth full-length album by the Swiss folk metal band Eluveitie. The album was released February 10, 2012 through Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at New Sound Studio in Pfäffikon, a municipality in the canton of Zurich in Switzerland, with producer Tommy Vetterli. It was the last album to include violinist Meri Tadić.

Contents

Eluveitie helvetios


Concept

Being the band's first concept album it focuses on the Gallic Wars from a perspective of the ancient Helvetians.

Style

The album features melodic death metal combined with Celtic folk music instruments like fiddle, hurdy-gurdy, flutes, whistles, bagpipes, mandola, bodhran, and hammered dulcimer. Band member Anna Murphy has been more involved in songwriting and has been given more vocal parts than on previous releases.

Reception

Helvetios received favourable professional reviews in Germany with the Sonic Seducer magazine calling the album "pure efficiency (pure Effizienz)." The German edition of Metal Hammer lauded the tracks "Meet The Enemy", "Neverland" and "The Siege" for their aggressive Metal style and concluded that Eluveitie's musical virtues were being continued on this album. A review by the Austrian Stormbringer compared the track "The Siege" to Sepultura's style and called the album a "piece of art."

Chart performance

The album reached the top ten album charts in Switzerland and the Top Heatseekers of the United States.

Eluveitie

  • Chrigel Glanzmann – harsh vocals, harp, tin & low whistle, uilleann pipes, mandola, bodhrán
  • Anna Murphy – clean vocals, harsh vocals in "The Siege" and "Meet the Enemy", hurdy-gurdy
  • Kay Brem – bass guitar, Caesar's voice in "Havoc"
  • Ivo Henzi – rhythm guitar
  • Simeon Koch – lead guitar, mandola
  • Patrick "Päde" Kistler – bagpipes, whistles
  • Merlin Sutter – drums
  • Meri Tadić – fiddles
  • Guests

  • Alexander Morton – voice in the narrations of tracks 1, 11 & 17
  • Nina Macchi – recorder in track 12
  • Christoph Pelgen – gwerz vocals in track 6
  • Fredy Schnyder – hammered dulcimer in tracks 4 & 7
  • Sarah Wauquiez – zugerörgeli (helvetic accordion) in track 3
  • Songs

    1Prologue1:24
    2Helvetios4:00
    3Luxtos3:55

    References

    Helvetios Wikipedia