Eluveitie

Eluveitie is a Swiss folk metal band from Winterthur, Zurich founded by Chrigel Glanzmann. The band was formed in 2002 and their first EP, Vên was released in 2003. Vên was a studio project of Glanzmanns' but its success led to the recruitment of a full band. They describe themselves as The new wave of folk metal. The band then released a full-length album, Spirit in June 2006. In November 2007, Eluveitie was signed by Nuclear Blast The first product of the collaboration, Slania, was released in February 2008. The album peaked at number 35 in the Swiss charts and number 72 in the German charts. Eluveitie use traditional instruments amidst guitars and harsh vocals. The lyrics are often in the extinct language Gaulish. The name of the band comes from graffiti 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.