Swiss metal veterans Eluveitie are set to release their ninth studio album entitled Ànv on April 25th. The band’s frontman Crigel Glanzmann spoke with Metal Express Radio about the upcoming album, bringing in their new violinist Lea-Sophie Fischer, approaching 25 years as a band, and more. Check out the chat below!
Metal Express Radio: Your band, Eluveitie, are set to release their ninth studio album entitled Ànv on April 25th, what can you tell fans about the upcoming release?
Glanzmann: We can’t wait to share it with you all! We’re proud of it and it comes from the bottom of our hearts. We feel Ànv is a really mature and authentic album, musically and a very deep, earnest and also personal one, lyrically. As the the thematical cycle around Ànv was opened with our stand-alone singles “Aidus“ and “Exile of the Gods“ in 2022 already, the album is lyrically and conceptional all based on an ancient, eschatological text, several thousands of years old and transports its profound, urgent and thought-provoking message into our modern age.
MER: How was the writing and recording process having this being your band’s ninth album?
Glanzmann: Fairly extended, we took quite some time. Okay, partly that was due to the covid pandemic, as we began working on the album in 2019 already, but also apart from that. Ànv really is a collective band work and as much as we gave ideas time to ripen, as much we also many left things open before entering the studios and let them spontaneously and impromptu happen in there, while recording. Ànv is a very raw, authentic and honest album.
MER: How was it bringing in your new violinist/hurdy gurdy player Lea-Sophie Fischer?
Glanzmann: It was and is absolutely great! We know each others since many years already and really respect each others, both personally as friends, but also as musicians. But what we just accidentally learned when we had to find a new violin player is, that Sophie’s former band just split up back then, so that was just perfect timing and a lucky coincidence, if you like. Getting her into our band is like getting an old friend into our band. Musically she already actively participated in the creative process of Ànv.
MER: Later this year, you’ll be touring Europe with Arch Enemy, Amorphis, and Gatecreeper, what are your expectations on the upcoming tour?
Glanzmann: I’m not much of an expectation-cheriching type of person. But we’re very much looking forward to see our friends in Amorphis and Arch Enemy again and tour with them, it’s going to be great! And I think it’s a pretty cool lineup and speaking in the name of all the four bands, I’m sure we’ll all have incredible nights with our fans!
MER: Do you have any other plans aside from your tour with Arch Enemy?
Glanzmann: Yes, of course, even before that one. For us the tour with Gatecreeper, Amorphis and Arch Enemy is the second leg of the European tour for Ànv; of course we’ll also tour in the other parts of the world, we’re still working in quite some more legs of the tour… Asia, North America and so on.
MER: Is there anyone that you hope to tour with that you haven’t yet and why?
Glanzmann: To be honest, not so much… or better put: We’re not really thinking about this like that. Of course we’re always trying to tour with bands that we think fit together musically and that we’re all creating an amazing lineup for our fans. But somehow that also often leads (and did so in the past) to touring packages that we also really love personally… speaking of bands we’ve toured with the last few years, acts like Amorphis, Arch Enemy, Dark Tranquillity, Lacuna Coil and so on. All these are bands that we really respect musically, but also personally as friends. So… what could we wish for more?
MER; You’ve played in clubs, and have done numerous open air festivals such as Wacken, what do you see as pros and cons to playing clubs, and Open Air festivals?
Glanzmann: We don’t really think about this in such manners, I’d say. Playing a show is our passion, it’s something very personal, it’s something you go all-in and put out all the energy you have and also that you receive from the audience, no matter where, when, under what conditions or in front of whatever crowd you do it. In that sense we really love each and every single show we ever play, no matter where.
If I would have to choose, I’d still go for larger open air festivals, such as Hellfest, Summer Breeze, ect. Simply due to the fact that the stages are larger and you’ll have more space to move. I love space.
MER: Is there anywhere that’s your favorite to play live and why?
Glanzmann: We do love all the shows we play and we always give our utmost. But surely there are places that somehow became special to us over the years, be it for all about them or be it for certain people, like local promoters, local crew or so. But I think there’s many different such places for each one of us.
MER: If you could create a Big 4 of folk metal, who would it consist of and why?
Glanzmann: Uff, that’s a tough question. To be really honest, I don’t know, neither did we ever really look at ourselves as folk metal (or any kind of label), nor did we ever really feel part of that scene (once it became a scene), nor does anyone of us even remotely listen to that kind of music, neither would I know much about that genre generally today. So I don’t know, to be honest. Hmm, I do think Moonsorrow is an amazing band, I guess they’re also kind of considered folk metal. Same for Amorphis. I also do like Thyrfing and Primordial. I don’t know if that counts?
MER: Out of your band’s nine albums, what is one you would suggest to a new fan and why?
Glanzmann: I think, with songs or albums you write and produce, it’s a tiny little bit like with children. I mean, you won’t turn to your kids, pick one and tell him, “You’re my favorite” no, you’ll care about all of them alike. And like that I look our songs and albums. But apart from that, I think it depends a bit on what that particular new fan is interested in, does he wanna know what the band sounds like today? Then I’d show him Ànv. Does he wanna know, where we’ve started? Then I’d listen through Ven with him. And so on. I think each of our albums represents who we are.
MER: Eluveitie has been a band for over twenty years, what has been some of your favorite memories with the band?
Glanzmann: Honestly, really hard. For there are so many. I honestly couldn’t pick one.
But it’s true, soon it will be 25 years. It’s crazy how time flies! There have been so many great memories along the road so far… enough to fill shelves of books!
MER: What do you see has been the key to the band’s longevity?
Glanzmann: Hard to say. Put that way it sounds a bit like something you’re simply subjected to. Maybe that’s the case. But maybe it’s also that we just simply never stopped doing what we love (ok, maybe before that: We didn’t stop loving what we’re doing ).
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