Symphonic Metal lovers looked forward to the moment they would see the Netherland’s Epica and Switzerland’s Eluveitie team up when they announced their co-headlining North American Tour last Spring. Unfortunately, due to a family emergency for Vocalist Simone Simons, Epica was forced to drop out from the tour. Luckily for fans, the Revolver tour marched on with Eluveitie, The Agonist, and Martina Edoff, kicking off Sept 8th in Baltimore, MD. Having been over a decade now since Eluveitie initially came together as a project of Chrigel Glanzmann, in that time, they have morphed into a full-fledged band. With a unique blend of ancient Folk music and Melodic Death Metal, they have released a total of six studio albums, including their most recent, Origins, in August 2014 via Nuclear Blast. Now, to much excitement, the lineup of Glanzmann (vocals, mandola/mandolin, bagpipes, bodhràn), Merlin Sutter (drums), Anna Murphy (hurdy gurdy, vocals, flute), Nicole Ansperger (fiddle), Ivo Henzi (guitar), Rafael Salzmann (guitar), Matteo Sisti (tin & low whistles, bagpipe), and Kay Brem (bass) quickly rehearsed to fit the changes in the North American Tour, putting together what would be a two hour set of non-stop Folk Metal music. Traveling about North America and wowing audiences, it was time for the tour to come to a close Saturday, October 3rd, in New York City at Irving Plaza.
Up first was the Swedish vocalist by the name of Martina Edoff. Attaining quite the history of musical career changes, including being one of the founding members of the Glam Metal band The Poodles, these ongoing movements has led her to take a break from the music scene for a few years until she decided to launch her own solo career. Musically writing Melodic Rock material that comes from her own heart and experiences, Edoff launched her own record company, MRM Production, with her manager Robert Jansson, and released her debut self-titled album in 2014. After receiving positive reviews, Edoff continued to explore her style, and on October 16th, Unity will be released worldwide to much anticipation.
Wasting no time, the Queen of Nordic Rock kicked the evening off right. Edoff shined confidently on the stage in front of the New York City crowd, giving everyone a taste of her music with a setlist that consists of tracks from the upcoming album. Launching her performance with “Unity,” “Never Let You Down,” and “Caught in the Middle” hooked the crowd on a softer note. Everyone on the floor was mesmerized, caught between Edoff’s serene vocals and her band flaring along with a radiant energy. Edoff progressed along with the emotive tune “Love Keeps Turning Away” and her latest single “World Has Gone Mad,” which ended in a tranquil guitar solo. Moving into the catchy and uplifting finale of “Come Alive” enticed many to swaying along and proved Edoff was a fitting opening act for the evening. Grateful for the support, she thanked the early arrivals for showing up, and offered to say hello to the fans at the merchandise booth, where Unity was being sold before the initial release date. With all that said, do not pass up on checking her out.
Changing things up from Melodic Rock to a more Melodic Death Metal/Metalcore sound were Montréal Metallers The Agonist. The Agonist have climbed up the Metal scene since their formation in 2004. Since inception, the band has toured ferociously with numerous acts including Overkill, Epica, and Danzig, as well as performed at major festivals including Heavy Montréal this past August. Continuing to promote Eye of Providence, their fourth album released last Winter via Century Media Records, more than just the new album has been publicized. The biggest clamor is the fact that the band has a new face amongst them with Vocalist Vicky Psarakis replacing Alissa White-Gluz during the Spring of 2014. The rest of the lineup includes familiar faces Danny Marino (guitar), Chris Kells (bass), Simon McKay (drums), as well as Pascal “Paco” Jobin (guitar), who were ready to dominate the stage of Irving Plaza.
Headbanging with fury during “Thank You, Pain,” “Gates of Horn and Ivory,” and “Danse Macabre,” The Agonist sparked many moshers and crowd surfers. Psarakis drilled in an immaculate performance with cutthroat vocals that charged along with Marino and Jobin’s maniacal shredding. Moving along with “Panophobia,” Psarakis bellowed in a vicious howl, engaging with the audience and asking if they wanted to hear more while fans cut her off by screaming in loud, frenzied approval. After moving on with “Dead Ocean,” followed by “The Tempest (The Siren’s Song: The Banshee’s Cry),” Marino grabbed the microphone to speak to the crowd, expressing how he could not believe the vibe that was happening, how no one would be able to change it, and how “live shows are part of their culture, be part of it!” As the fans reacted with an approving roar, “The Escape” came in next with intensity. Psarakis delightfully introduced the next song, “Business Suits and Combat Boots,” from the band’s 2007 debut album, Once Only Imagined, which also received a very positive response. For a screaming finale, “Follow the Crossed Line,” from the latest album, closed the night in an epic fashion. New York City can be one of the toughest places in the world, and it was obvious this crowd have fully embraced Psarakis as the new voice of The Agonist for years to come.
After a short break, it was time for two full hours of non-stop Folk Metal as Eluveitie were ready to enchant the crowd. Hammering in with the first Metal set of the night, the band began with the latest single, “King,” followed by “Nil” and “Thousandfold” from 2010’s Everything Remains (As It Never Was). The spirit from the crowd rose as many moshed and crowd surfed along to the irresistible mix of styles. They progressed into the instrumental “AnDro” and the foreign “Slanias Song” thereafter, and at this point, it did not matter to the audience whether the songs were in English or not as they joyously swayed along with “Omnos.” The lovely Murphy continued to bewitch all in attendance as everyone cheered for more. Concert-goers clapped loudly to the newer “The Call of Mountains” and “From Darkness,” as each member of the band electrified the room, choreographing themselves to be equally seen. Ansperger’s ardent fiddling transpired into a full blown Metal eruption during “Kingdom Come Undone.” Then “Neverland” and “Brictom” crushed in as Glanzmann continued his callous grunts and fury. Keeping everyone completely enthralled, Murphy held the microphone in “Scorched Earth” and the mood began to shift inside the walls of the venue, and shortly after it was time for the Acoustic set of the night.
As Eluveitie collectively went into the Jig and Reel set with the traditional Celtic Folk arrangement, Glanzmann opened up to the crowd, explaining how his main inspiration comes from the tradition of Celtic music. Stating he wanted to share the soul of the music, supporters embraced this moment with claps, stomps, and cheers. Glanzmann continued by explaining, music is a life and how it changes the soul. This led to the track “Hope” from 2012’s Helvetios, as well as “Carnutian Forest” and “Memento” from 2009’s Evocation I: The Arcane Dominion, creating a special experience for Eluveitie fans they will soon not forget.
After a brief set change, it was time for round two of the Metal set. With that, an atmospheric intro chimed in as Sutter smashed the drums until the band fully arrived on the stage and played “Helvetios” and “Meet the Enemy.” Glanzmann introduced the next piece in dedication to Epica by explaining that they missed them being there and felt honored to perform for them. Keeping the energy flowing, “A Rose For Epona” stunned the crowd as Murphy dazzled with her angelic voice. It was obvious the band could have gone all night as tracks “The Sige,” “Quoth the Raven,” and “Tegernakô” reigned in. As the night was about to come to a close, Eluveitie ended on a high note with Helveitos’ “Havoc” and “Alesia.”
Despite playing for two hours, fans screamed out for more, and a few moments later, the octet proudly walked back onto the stage for an encore of fan-favorite “Inis Mona.” During the epilogue finale, members waved to the audience as The Agonist joined them on the stage for an ultimate group photo that included the New York family in the background, officially concluding the North American Tour. Despite missing Epica, everyone experienced an unforgettable evening. The magic that Eluveitie shared was hands down extraordinary, and now they return to the European region for more touring. As for Epica, they promise to re-schedule their North American tour in 2016, so keep a look out for dates.
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