Eluveitie - Live at Feuertanz 2013 (2014) - Great gimmick for old and new fans - 80% (02/02/15)

"Live at Feuertanz 2013" is a nice live record of Swiss folk metal band Eluveitie that came for free with an edition of the great German metal magazine "Legacy". This short release has a running time of more than forty-five minutes and consists of nine songs, covering both the early years and more recent material from the band.

On the negative side, let's mention that this release doesn't cover the entire concert and that the track list is not completely in order either which is rather weird as we're immediately thrown into the middle of a concert. While the overall production is raw and energizing, the guitar sound could have been a little bit thicker and tighter. For those who want to discover an entire live record, I can highly recommend the "Live @ Metalcamp 2008" release which also came as a bundle with the excellent "Slania" record.

On the positive side, the remaining track list is very well chosen and goes from the band's little known first steps with the folk driven "Divico" to more recent hits such as "Alesia" that would also make for a perfect contemporary Nightwish single. For those who haven't heard anything of Eluveitie yet, this release is a fair priced and fitting introduction. Apart of the charismatic and mostly balanced mixture of Scandinavian melodic death metal and diverse Celtic folk instruments, the band's strength is certainly the mixture of Chrigel Glanzmann's raw throaty growls and Anna Murphy's enchanting clean vocals. Over the past few studio records, Anna Murphy's influence on the band sound has constantly grown and pushed Eluveitie to a charismatic, catchy and more accessible level. Her instrumental and vocal live performance is down to earth and rooted in traditional folk chants which is unusual for the metal genre but her performance still has a very emotional undertone that captures the attention of the wildest extreme metal fans. Her performance during the concert is the true highlight on this enjoyable release. Another very good point is Chrigel Glanzmann's interaction with the crowd. He tells a couple of anecdotes, animates vivid sing-along parts and encourages the more and more enthusiastic fans to get involved into a giant circle pit. The live atmosphere on this record keeps on improving until the very end and is especially great during "Inis Mona" and "The Uprising". By listening to this album, you really get the impression to travel back in time and be there at the show in Germany.

In the end, you can't go wrong by purchasing this release. It's only the facts that this album doesn't feature an entire concert and that the sound mix is not always perfect that keep this live album from being excellent. Thanks to a great set list, a passionate performance by the two band leaders Chrigel Glanzmann and Anna Murphy and a steadily progressing authentic live atmosphere, this release is more than just a cheap extra and should get the attention of any serious Eluveitie fan or those interested in finally getting in touch with the band.