It wasn’t long ago that it was considered unviable for a band like Eluveitie to do an Australian tour. With the Aussie dollar performing well and the Australian metal community constantly growing, we have seen an influx of incredible obscure overseas talent finally making it to Australian shores. Considering the size and enthusiasm of the crowd that poured into Billboard Nightclub to see the Swiss seven-piece make their Aussie debut, it’s incredibly doubtful that this tour will be their last.
It was encouraging to see the venue near capacity early, as many came to check out the first support act Decimatus. These guys pack a hell of a lot of potential, and play with absolute conviction and perfection. While there was a bit of sameness to the tempo (really bloody fast), the band did enough with song structure and infectious groove to prevent the performance becoming tiresome, even for someone unfamiliar with their music.
Unfortunately the boomy acoustics of the venue dulled the edge of the distorted riffage, but when the bar is only charging $3.50 for a pot of beer, this annoyance quickly becomes less noticeable. Decimatus are currently working on their debut studio album, which could just well prime them for national, and possibly international domination.
Orpheus demanded crowd attention, and received it willingly enough. These Melbourners are relatively new to the scene and have built themselves a dedicated fanbase quickly, with quite a few fans in attendance at this show. High-energy keyboard melodies are interwoven into crushing death metal antics as the band evokes universal appreciative headbanging . Vocalist Chris Themalco’s ability to play complex riffs unfalteringly while delivering titanic metal vocals is particularly impressive.
Choice selections from Kyuss’ back catalogue keep the crowd entertained during the reasonably speedy changeover, and when the lights dim and the Eluveitie pile onto the stage mood the reaction is phenomenal.
The band makes coordinating seven people on the relatively small stage look surprisingly easy. Flutes, whistles and a hurdy gurdy compliment the traditional metal array of instruments, while Chrigel Glanzmann’s mic stand is garnished by more instruments still and an Australian Flag hangs from the back of Patrick Kistler’s bagpipes. Long-time violinist Meri Tadić is recovering from illness and was notably absent, but the rest of the band pick slack without a problem.
Tearing through the title track of their latest album Helvetios, the band have the whole floor jumping around to the high-energy woodwind-driven melodies. Glanzmann teeters on the edge of the stage and screams down the throat of the mic, trading Gaulish lyrics for English in an uplifting chorus that is matched in enthusiasm by the eager fans in the pit. “Luxtos” helps maintain this energy, and when the band follows up with “Home”, “Santonian Shores” and “Scorched Earth”, it becomes apparent that the band is playing Helvetios from start-to-finish, as they did on their North American Tour last year.
Their latest album is often considered their strongest, and there is certainly no noticeable objection to this notion. The band seem overwhelmed by the reaction they’re receiving and Glanzmann frequently thanks the crowd in between songs.
Hurdy gurdy player Anna Murphy adds her pitch-perfect vocals to the Glanzmann’s screams throughout the set, but it’s when she casts aside her instrument to take on the role of frontwoman in songs such as “Alesia” that she unleashes her full potential.
Singing cleanly, Anna’s voice is a subject of adoration, and she’s simply staggering when she unleashes her high-pitched screams on the audience. During “A Rose For Epona”, she personally delivers roses to a lucky few in the front row and it’s hard not to feel blessed by her presence.
The most impressive part of what Eluveitie does is the seamless transition between different instruments thoughout the set. Almost every song seems some sort of structural change and the performance is impeccably well coordinated, which adds an evolutionary aspect to the experience. When Helvetios closer “Uexellodunon” is done and dusted, the band say their thankyous and leave the stage. They return with a healthy four song encore made up of fan-favourites from their impressive back-catalogue.
“Everything Remains”, “Thousandfold” and “Quoth The Raven” from 2010’s Everything Remains As It Never Was were very well received, but nothing could compare to the moshpit chaos of Slania’s “Inis Mona” which closed the nights proceedings with hundreds of people taking to the floor, jumping around to the celebratory beer-raiser.
Eluveitie provide a live experience unique from any other heavy metal band in the world, including other folk metal bands. They play with intensity, dedication and a radiant passion for what they do and it’s hard not to enjoy it wholeheartedly. After a lengthy, well-executed twenty song set from the talented Swissfolk, it’s fair to say that Australian fans got everything they had been waiting for.
