Eluveitie use both traditional Swiss and Celtic instruments alongside electric guitars and drums. Their music is known to be inspired by Gothenburg’s melodic death metal Scene and their lyrics are written in a mix of English and Gaulish. The name of the band comes from a graffito on a vessel from Mantua (ca. 300 BC). The inscription in Etruscan letters reads eluveitie, which has been interpreted as the Etruscan form of the Celtic (h)elvetios (“the Helvetian”), presumably referring to a man of Helvetian descent living in Mantua.
On 14 October 2017, the band announced via social media that they were working on a new album, and were to due to start recording after their Maximum Evocation tour. The band also revealed that they had recorded a single in advance of the tour, at Tommy Vetterli's New Sound Studio, entitled "Rebirth". The single was released on 27 October 2017, along with a music video produced by Wolfgang Wolman and Oliver Sommer. "Rebirth" marked the first non-acoustic record produced by the new line-up. On the band's official Instagram account, it was announced the new album is called Ategnatos. It was released on 5 April 2019. On 2 June 2022, the band released a brand new single "Aidus" along with a music video. On 5 July, the band announced that Michalina Malisz left the band on good terms
Current members:
Chrigel Glanzmann – vocals, mandola, whistles, pipes, gaita, acoustic guitar, bodhrán, harp
Alain Ackermann – drums
Jonas Wolf – rhythm guitar
Fabienne Erni – vocals, celtic harp, mandola
Kay Brem – bass guitar
Rafael Salzmann – lead guitar
Nicole Ansperger – violin
Matteo Sisti - bagpipes, whistles
Fabienne Erni - clean vocals, celtic harp
Official Site: http://www.eluveitie.ch
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eluveitie
Lyrics: http://lyricwiki.org/Eluveitie
Alesia
Eluveitie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blackbird sang their songs as they always did that black-letter day
The day we passed the great gate for the very last time
I did not look back, I knew we'd stay
I knew they I would not let us go leave the death strip
I saw the gleam in their eyes of fear and enslavement
Suffering from the crushing weight
I knelt ground take me home
Alesia, alisanos
Wake me when I'm gone
IANOTOUTA, eternity
Proclaim our barren sacrifice
On that ground we cherished life
We embraced death
As the children's cries trailed off
Sob yielded deathly hush
The grass as green as it always was that sinister day
As we walked the alleys like thousand times before
I knew we'd stay
Oudside Alesia
We offered a living sacrifice
Outside the doors of Alesia
Where our tears run dry
The lyrics to Eluveitie's song "Alesia" paint a picture of a past moment in time, specifically one that involves a sense of finality and danger. The first verse describes a day where everything was "as it always was," but also "sinister." The blackbird's songs remained consistent, while the color of the grass persisted unchanged. However, this day marked the last time the group passed through a great gate, emphasizing a sense of departure. Despite the finality of the situation, the singer of the song doesn't look back, moving forward with the knowledge that they will be staying.
The second verse introduces a sense of fear and enslavement, represented by the gleam in the eyes of others. The singer kneels to the ground, seemingly looking for some kind of relief. The chorus of the song introduces the word "Alesia," which can be interpreted as a reference to a historical moment in time. There are multiple references to "sacrifice," such as how the group cherishes life and embraces death. The final verse seems to be a flashback to a time outside of Alesia, where a living sacrifice was offered and tears were shed until they ran dry.
Line by Line Meaning
The grass as green as it always was that sinister day
The day was like any other, yet we knew that something sinister was about to happen.
Blackbird sang their songs as they always did that black-letter day
The birds sang as usual, unaware of the darkness that was about to envelop the land.
The day we passed the great gate for the very last time
It was our final time passing through the gate, and we had a sense of foreboding that it would be.
I did not look back, I knew we'd stay
I had a feeling that we wouldn't be allowed to leave, so I didn't bother looking back.
I knew they I would not let us go leave the death strip
I was certain that they wouldn't allow us to leave the area, which was fraught with danger.
I saw the gleam in their eyes of fear and enslavement
I could see the fear and desire to dominate in their eyes, which filled me with dread.
Suffering from the crushing weight
We were weighed down by oppression and suffering.
I knelt ground take me home
I wished to be liberated from my suffering, even if it meant dying.
Alesia, alisanos
Alesia, the stronghold of Alisanos, the gods who protected our people.
Wake me when I'm gone
Let me rest eternally in peace when I die.
IANOTOUTA, eternity
We are forever remembered in history, even in death.
Proclaim our barren sacrifice
Our sacrifice for the freedom of our people will never be forgotten.
On that ground we cherished life
We celebrated life and enjoyed it while we were free.
We embraced death
We accepted the possibility of death as something that comes with fighting for our freedom.
As the children's cries trailed off
The sound of children crying died away as they were taken by our oppressors.
Sob yielded deathly hush
We cried silently as we mourned the loss of our loved ones and the end of our freedom.
As we walked the alleys like thousand times before
We walked the familiar paths we had taken before, which made the situation all the more heartbreaking.
I knew we'd stay
I had accepted that we would remain in that place, regardless of the cost.
Oudside Alesia
Outside the walls of our once-great stronghold.
We offered a living sacrifice
We gave everything we had to try and liberate ourselves, even if it meant sacrificing our own lives.
Where our tears run dry
We had cried so much that we could no longer cry anymore - all that was left was a feeling of numbness.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANNA MURPHY, CHRISTIAN GLANZMANN, IVO HENZI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind