Helvetios

Helvetios is the fifth full-length album by the Swiss folk metal band Eluveitie. The album was released February 10, 2012 through Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at New Sound Studio in Pfäffikon, a municipality in the canton of Zurich in Switzerland, with producer Tommy Vetterli. It was the last album to include violinist Meri Tadić and guitarist Simeon Koch.

This article is about the album. For the star, see 51 Pegasi.

Helvetios
Studio album by
Eluveitie
ReleasedFebruary 10, 2012 (2012-02-10)
Recorded2011 at New Sound Studio, Pfäffikon[1]
GenreFolk metal, melodic death metal, Celtic metal
Length59:12
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerTommy Vetterli,[2] Eluveitie
Eluveitie chronology
Everything Remains (As It Never Was)
(2010)		 Helvetios
(2012)		 Origins
(2014)
Singles from Helvetios
  1. "Meet the Enemy"
    Released: January 17, 2012

Concept

Being the band's first concept album, it focuses on the Gallic Wars from a perspective of the ancient Helvetians.[3][4]

Style

The album features melodic death metal combined with Celtic folk music instruments like fiddle, hurdy-gurdy, flutes, whistles, bagpipes, mandola, bodhran, and hammered dulcimer. Band member Anna Murphy has been more involved in songwriting and has been given more vocal parts than on previous releases.[3]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[5]
Der Metal Krieger[6]
Metal Hammer (Germany)6/7[4]
Sonic Seducervery favourable[3]
Stormbringer[7]
Lambgoat[8]
Peek from the Pit[9]

Helvetios received favourable professional reviews in Germany with the Sonic Seducer magazine calling the album "pure efficiency (pure Effizienz)."[3] The German edition of Metal Hammer lauded the tracks "Meet The Enemy", "Neverland" and "The Siege" for their aggressive Metal style and concluded that Eluveitie's musical virtues were being continued on this album.[4] A review by the Austrian Stormbringer compared the track "The Siege" to Sepultura's style and called the album a "piece of art."[7]

Chart performance

The album reached the top ten album charts in Switzerland and the Top Heatseekers of the United States.

Charts Peak
position
SWI[10] 4
CAN[11] 73
GER[12] 27
FIN[13] 47
FRA[14] 81
Billboard USA[15] 143
Heatseekers USA[15] 3

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Chrigel Glanzmann, except "Home" co-written by Anna Murphy.

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Prologue"Glanzmann1:24
2."Helvetios"
  • Glanzmann
  • Ivo Henzi
  • Murphy
4:00
3."Luxtos"
  • Glanzmann
  • Henzi
  • Meri Tadić
3:56
4."Home"Glanzmann5:16
5."Santonian Shores"
  • Glanzmann
  • Henzi
  • Murphy
3:58
6."Scorched Earth"Glanzmann4:18
7."Meet the Enemy"
  • Glanzmann
  • Henzi
3:46
8."Neverland"
  • Glanzmann
  • Henzi
  • Murphy
  • Tadić
3:42
9."A Rose for Epona"
  • Glanzmann
  • Henzi
  • Murphy
4:26
10."Havoc"
  • Glanzmann
  • Henzi
  • Murphy
4:05
11."The Uprising"
  • Glanzmann
  • Henzi
3:41
12."Hope"Glanzmann2:27
13."The Siege"
  • Glanzmann
  • Henzi
  • Murphy
2:44
14."Alesia"
  • Glanzmann
  • Henzi
  • Murphy
3:58
15."Tullianum"Glanzmann0:24
16."Uxellodunon"
  • Henzi
  • Murphy
  • Tadić
3:51
17."Epilogue"Glanzmann3:16
Total length:59:12
Limited edition bonus track
No.TitleMusicLength
18."A Rose for Epona" (acoustic version)
  • Glanzmann
  • Henzi
  • Murphy
3:49
Total length:63:01
Limited Edition Bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."A Rose for Epona" (Video Clip) 
2."Havoc" (Video Clip) 
3."A Rose for Epona" (Making Of) 
4."Havoc" (Making Of) 
5."A Closer Look at the Lyrics" (...In Conversation with a Scientist) 
6."Live at Feuertanz Festival 2010" (4 Songs Live) 
Total length:93:00

Personnel

Eluveitie

Guests

References
  1. "Nuclear Blast page". Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  2. "Blabbermouth release date". December 2, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  3. Eck, Markus (2012). "Eluveitie: Großer Spannungsbogen". Sonic Seducer (in German). No. 3. Thomas Vogel Media e. K. pp. 42–43.
  4. Riedl, Katrin (28 February 2012). "Eluveitie – Helvetios". Metal Hammer (in German). Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  5. "Allmusic review".
  6. "A Review of Helvetios". dermetalkriger.com. 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  7. Isch, Stefan (2 February 2012). "Eluveitie - Helvetios". Stormbringer. The Austrian Heavyzine (in German). Retrieved 22 March 2012. Ein Gesamtkunstwerk ist Helvetios allemal! [Helvetios is definitely a total work of art!]
  8. "Album Review: Eluveitie - Helvetios". Lambgoat. 2012-08-03. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  9. "Peek from the Pit review". Archived from the original on 2012-05-21.
  10. "Swiss Charts".
  11. "Billboard / Eluveitie". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  12. "Chartverfolgung / Eluveitie / Longplay". musicline.de (in German). PHONONET GmbH. Archived from the original on 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
  13. "Eluveitie: Helvetious [sic]" (in Finnish). IFPI Finland. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  14. "Les classement des albums nouveautés. Semaine du 22/02/2010 au 28/02/2010". Disque en France (in French). SNEP. Archived from the original on 2012-06-29. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
  15. "Billboard / Eluveitie". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
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