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
Havoc
Eluveitie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To attack at night
And now down the defenseless
Invasions and raids just called
Fucking, punitive expeditions
Like a wildfire
Devastation spreads
From helvetia to eburonia
The ravener's insatiate
Havoc
Think of yesterday
Ruin
A mass illusion! how could it come this far?
Narbonensis was not enough
The empire needed more
From aremorica to carnutia
Plagued and war-ridden land
War's inflicted on free gallia
An organised downfall
A black cloud of imperial
Rapacity unleashed
Imperial needs are met
At bloody cost of free tribes
Invasion, raid and war atrocity
In the name of s.p.q.r.
The lyrics to Eluveitie's song Havoc paint a picture of the destructive nature of invasions and the brutal consequences for those who are invaded. The song highlights the feeling of helplessness and uncertainty that arises when seemingly unstoppable forces of destruction descend upon a land. The lyrics suggest that the aftermath of such an event is ruinous and that the consequences are felt long after the event has concluded. The lyrics also convey a plea for understanding, as they question how such destruction could have ever been allowed to exist.
The song’s opening lines, “I wonder what it's like to attack at night and mow down the defenseless”, set the tone for the rest of the song. The lines immediately create a sense of distress and unease, as they point out that the weakest and most vulnerable are the first targets of an invasion. The rest of the lyrics reinforce this sense of unease, as they describe the destruction of entire regions, the forced submission of people and the violation of their free will.
The chorus calls attention to the cyclical nature of war and invasion, as it implores the listener to “Think of yesterday, ruin, a mass illusion! How could it come this far?”. The lyrics evoke feelings of regret, as they question how the destruction could have been prevented. Through the repetition of “Havoc”, the song forces listeners to confront the power of destruction and the consequences of it.
Line by Line Meaning
I wonder what it's like
Curiosity about the experience of attacking at night
To attack at night
The act of attacking during the night
And now down the defenseless
Taking down those who cannot defend themselves
Invasions and raids just called
Invasions and raids ordered and planned
Fucking, punitive expeditions
Violent expeditions meant to punish
Like a wildfire
Just as a wildfire can quickly spread, so can devastation
Devastation spreads
The destruction and ruin rapidly advances
Across all gallia
All of Gaul is affected
From helvetia to eburonia
From Switzerland to Belgium
The ravener's insatiate
The one who causes destruction is never satisfied
Havoc
Complete chaos and destruction
Think of yesterday
Reflecting on the past
Ruin
Complete destruction; everything in shambles
A mass illusion! how could it come this far?
The belief that there was a great civilization, but it's now in ruin with no understanding of how it got there
Narbonensis was not enough
The Roman Empire's conquest of Narbonensis was not sufficient
The empire needed more
The Roman Empire desired to conquer more territories
From aremorica to carnutia
From the Atlantic coast of France to Austria
Plagued and war-ridden land
A country where war and problems are rampant
War's inflicted on free gallia
The Roman Empire waged war on independent Gaul
An organised downfall
The fall of Gaul was planned and executed by the Roman Empire
A black cloud of imperial
An ominous force that is the Roman Empire
Rapacity unleashed
Unbridled greed was let loose
Imperial needs are met
The Roman Empire's demands were fulfilled
At bloody cost of free tribes
The free tribes suffered loss of life and much bloodshed
Invasion, raid and war atrocity
The Roman Empire's use of violence throughout their conquest of Gaul
In the name of s.p.q.r.
All the war and violence was done under the banner of the Roman Empire and its ideals
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANNA MURPHY, CHRISTIAN GLANZMANN, IVO HENZI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Tjag321
Everyones just headbanging as fuck and then there's that flute guy like "yeah, flutes"
@Ghostboy401
It's a Tin Whist;e.
@hooligancarter8141
Haha,he is like meeh too hardcore for me,just gonna flute the shit out of this song
@malcador6193
Hell Property Aaand he did. If you try to headbang with a whistle, you will really miss your teeth.
@victor39
Hell Property OOOOOOHHH GET REKT ! :))))))
@hooligancarter8141
viman manuel Not really :/
@IanKGP
I think the main reason I like this band is because they play a wide range of instruments, are unique, but best of all - They can do a soft song (Omnos, A Rose for Epona and so on) then do much heavier songs, and they do both styles to great levels. They don't stick to one sound, but whatever sound they choose they do extremely well
@julienrouche-lestonnat997
Yes, very versatile. shouts/female voice/celtic instruments/acoustic album in Gaulish... awesome band !
@quentin9290
Any violin player or flute player that can jam with a legit metal band is badass, this still remains as one of my favorites.
@rickhapstley3866
Don't forget the hurdy gurdy !