Review Summary: Refreshing melodic death metal with a celtic touch!
Eluveitie’s first 2 albums are some of the best melodic death metal albums ever made. Their ability to blend the intensity of melodeath with triumphant, medieval sounding celtic metal was something that brought freshness to a genre that was easy to get bored with a lot of times. I haven’t kept up with their releases since the first 2, but 2025’s
Ànv proves that Eluveitie still has the magic in them.
This album is equal parts ferocious melodic death metal and some of the most epic celtic metal you’ll ever have the pleasure of hearing. The melodeath moments are dark and brooding, bringing forth an atmosphere of melancholy and doom. Almost having an apocalyptic feel to them a la
The Gathering Wilderness by Primordial. Just when you think it’s getting a tad too dark, a cavalcade of upbeat and danceable flutes and bagpipes burst into the party. The folk parts here will make you feel like you’re dancing in a medieval ballroom after a triumph in battle.
Ànv is more reliant on that medieval atmosphere than anything else, but there’s still tons of catchy riffs behind all that celtic madness. They’re definitely not the focal point, but they still get the job done. The Prodigal Ones and Awen in particular combine the melodic riffage with the folk instruments extremely well. The vocals, both male and female, are absolutely stunning. The screams are gruff and hard hitting, reminding you of a general screaming at his men in war. The female vocals are soaring and operatic. The way they glide over top of the flutes is angelic, warm and downright epic.
Eluveitie are over 2 decades into their career at this point and they clearly aren’t slowing down.
Ànv is a masterclass on how to make an entire genre sound refreshing and unique. Bands have blended melodeath and folk music before, but I haven’t found a band that does it better than Eluveitie. Yes, I have heard of Ensiferum. These guys just scratch that itch in the best way possible.
Ànv is just an absolutely killer melodic death/celtic metal album by a band that knows how to stand out.
