Band:	Eluveitie
Album:	Ategnatos
Style:	Celtic folk metal, Gothenburg metal
Release date:	April 05, 2019
Guest review by:	Cynic Metalhead

01. Ategnatos
02. Ancus
03. Deathwalker
04. Black Water Dawn
05. A Cry In The Wilderness
06. The Raven Hill
07. The Silvern Glow
08. Ambiramus
09. Mine Is The Fury
10. The Slumber
11. Worship [ft. Randy Blythe]
12. Trinoxtion
13. Threefold Death
14. Breathe
15. Rebirth
16. Eclipse
17. Ategnatos [acoustic version] [digibook bonus]
18. Ambiramus [acoustic version] [digibook bonus]
19. Threefold Rebirth [digibook bonus]

The eighth studio album, Ategnatos, begins with a typical Eluveitie cinematic introduction, featuring narration and expansive folk melodies, before it lifts off to take you on an hour-long journey cramming 16 tracks in. There's violin and pipes here and there, as Chrigel tries hard to scribble notes from Slania's experimenting with heavier melodeath influence while layering the beautiful Celtic-sounding female voice of Fabienne Erni shining at the center stage. That is just about it.

Wait, let me dissect it then.

Starting right off with the title track "Ategnatos", it opens in Eluveitie's usual grandiose style, being evocative with folky melodeath emulating the core sound of In Flames, and it subsequently escalates to a glorious combo of male and female harsh vocals at the end. After Eluveitie was shaken by some main members leaving the roster in 2016, Chrigel tried to fill the void of keeping the cornerstone sound of Eluveitie as it was evident in Evocation II - Pantheon. However, with Ategnatos, I felt that he was trying to reset the ecosystem of the band by recapturing the sound of Slania, but he really fails to bring the charm. With the sound of bagpipes, whistles, violins, harps, and hurdy-gurdy, Eluveitie strive to recapitulate some of that album's best moments – in the first half hour, the band exhibits full cohesion of intense death metal fury throwing back to early In Flames with a blend of epic symphony, as is heard in “Deathwalker" and "A Cry In The Wilderness”. There is a shift in momentum going into the back half of the album, starting with a somber interlude in “The Silvern Glow” before kicking into one of the catchiest song of the record, “Ambiramus”. Here, Fabienne took the lead to craft the song beautifully, giving a new folk twist to her operatic warble that reminds me of Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering, Vuur). "Mine Is The Fury" emerges as one of the heaviest Eluveitie songs in their entire discography, infused with death metal undertones totally ripped off from Arch Enemy, while "The Slumber" charms with its catchy melody, as well as with an exceptional low whistle solo midway through.

What truly became a remarkable element of the album are the subliminal vocals of Fabienne Erni: her ability to deliver captivating and melodious choruses is truly magnificent, as she snatches the spotlight in "The Slumber" and "Eclipse”. Building on her earlier success in Evocation II - Pantheon, Erni not only leaves her mark but also seamlessly fills the shoes of Anna Murphy. Not to be forgotten, but the performance of Michalina Malisz on the hurdy-gurdy on this album is exceptional considering how she is self-taught and incorporates new tunes on her YouTube channel. The production sounds solid, covering issues prevalent in earlier records, such as when the folk portions were lost under the melodeath umbrella; here, these moments have full accessibility in the longer tracks to breathe. However, the album's length poses an issue, feeling burdened with excessive filler tracks, particularly instrumental sections that are overly repetitive in songs like "Breathe" and "Threefold Death". If Ategnatos was released 15 years ago, it would have made a groundbreaking impact, but Slania has already set Eluveitie’s benchmark. Therefore, attempting to replicate its sound to excite the fanbase was not a good strategy. Nevertheless, it will still delight fans who wanted something punchier from Eluveitie’s most recent entries.

Highlights: "Deathwalker", "A Cry In The Wilderness", "Threefold Death" and "Ambiramus".