Eluveitie, Holy Grail and System Divide – Worcester MA

Review By: Brian Cross

Folk metal bands always seem to visit the Northeast during the winter, and February 3, 2011 was no different. Eluveitie and friends made a tour stop upstairs at the Palladium in Worcester, MA, as the city was still trying to dig itself out from underneath record snowfall. The horrible weather and its aftereffects unfortunately kept tourmates 3 Inches of Blood from attending a few shows – including this one – but the rest of the bands soldiered on and gave fans their all.

The task of warming up the crowd was left to metalcore newcomers System Divide. The brainchild of Aborted vocalist Sven de Caluwé and ex-Distorted vocalist Miri Milman, the band got the mosh pits started early, but ultimately most songs seemed too similar to one another. At the same time, the bass was cranked up so high that it all but completely obscured the guitars. This was unlikely to have been System Divide’s fault, but it still knocked their performance down a few pegs.

Following them was Holy Grail, a California band that’s been generating tremendous buzz. They’re often described by the press as spearheading a “New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal,” and it’s an accurate assessment. Picture a modern-day Judas Priest, and you’re not far off. Leather, spikes, and some serious shredding dominated their set. Holy Grail had plenty of fans in attendance, that’s for sure, and there’s no doubt that their strong performance earned them a few more.

At this point, the venue was significantly packed, just in time for the headliner: Eluveitie. (Say it with me: “ell-VAY-tee.”) The Swiss band differs from most other folk metal groups by eschewing the use of keyboards. They use original folk instruments for their unique sound, including pan flutes, bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, and more. Of course, this means more musicians are necessary in order to play them; as such, Eluveite is eight members strong, all of whom had to fit on a tiny stage. This would pose a near-impossible challenge for many bands, but Eluveitie pulled it off with aplomb. Even though the band is touring to promote their latest record Everything Remains (As it Never Was), the set list was equally divided between all of their past albums. Heavier pieces were interspersed with more relaxed acoustic songs, which kept the show interesting and certainly made it easier for bandmembers to change instruments when necessary.

The show took an unexpected turn when Eluveite performed “Thousandfold,” the first single off of Everything Remains. Somehow, the lead microphone immediately cut out, but the monitors were clearly still working as vocalist Chrigel Glanzmann was unaware that anything was wrong. To the band’s credit, “Thousandfold” was still strong without the vocals. (After the song ended, fans shouted about the problem, and Glanzmann switched to another microphone for the next piece.)

The microphone gaffe nonwithstanding (which appears to have been caused by a wiring problem onstage), mixing so many different instruments along with vocal harmonies and still having everything ring out clear as a bell is no easy task. The sonic guru manning the mixing board accomplished this endeavor as if it was a walk in the park. Even in the midst of crunching guitars and brutal double-bass attacks, the hurdy-gurdy and such cut right through. Considering how important the folk instruments are to Eluveitie’s sound, the excellent mix made all of the difference.

Eluveite and their supporting roster put on a tight show for metal fans, and the fact that so many diehards braved the snowy hell of Worcester in order to attend is a testament to the bands’ skill and devotion to their craft.

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For more information on :

Eluveitie : www.eluveitie.ch