Picture Poetry

Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for a folk-metal band that wasn’t a joke?

Recently signed to Nuclear Blast is the Swiss band Eluveitie (etymologically related to “Helvetica“). Their first release on NB, Slania, came out two days ago, I just discovered it this morning, and it’s currently my favorite thing ever.

Essentially, these guys are playing Dark Tranquillity songs with bagpipes and hurdy-gurdy taking the place of DT’s synthesizers. The folk/Celtic element isn’t the central focus of the band, nor is it tacked on clumsily. It’s just part of what they do. And what they do is rock your face off.

This one’s my favorite tune at the moment:

EDIT: it’s been taken down from YouTube. Here’s the Amazon page for the song, with a streaming sample.

And here’s the single, with an actual music video. It is almost certainly the most earnest attempt to make a hurdy-gurdy look intimidating that you have ever seen. Unfortunately, the song itself is lame:

Keep an eye out for the vicious Sevan Kirder and his goat-skull-adorned pipes:

METALLLLLLLLLL