Live Reviews : Eluveitie & Rise Of Avernus @ Manning Bar, Sydney 20/05/2016

Words: Jonathon Besanko

Images: Courtney Dabb

(Click here to view the full gallery)

I was quite excited for tonight for a few reasons. I’d flown in to Sydney very early on Thursday morning with my sister for a short trip and to see this band live, and to catch up with some friends. Come Friday, I was rearing to go and ready to write up my first ever live review for a band while in another state. Furthermore, one of my favourite bands in Eluveitie. For those that aren’t aware, I’m originally from Melbourne so I was quite keen to see what Sydney metalheads and the Manning Bar were like. I wasn’t disappointed on either front!

One thing that did disappoint me, however, is the fact I missed most of Rise of Avernus‘ set tonight; due to poor coordination on the door. The Manning Bar was packed, with a line running down from the venue’s steps and turning left and then weaving up and around the street. Though Rise of Avernus began on time, perhaps in part due to Sydney’s lock-out laws, they had already begun playing when the line was still half-way up the street. I felt this was pretty poor personally, given how long people had been waiting outside in the lead up to their set. Of what I can take from this though – speaking with others and the two odd songs that I did manage to hear – Rise of Avernus are sounding a tighter unit now than they have when I’ve seen them in the past. With the addition of their new members (bassist Dan Warrington and keyboardist Mares Refalaeda), it seems it has elevated their sound quite significantly, with Mares adding new flavour to the band. Even the stage aesthetic seems stronger, with Rise of Avernus all donning black body paint and wearing Gothic style clothing; giving them an apt demonic appearance. The lighting, however, was rather dismal though. Seeing this band in their hometown for the short time that I did and seeing the overwhelming response from the crowd as a whole, they appear right at home: earning strong applause, despite a somewhat abrupt finish.

With the Manning Bar filled almost to the brim, the crowd was eager as the eponymous intro to Eluveitie’s ‘Origins’ album sounded in. Followed immediately by “King”, the crowd was drawn right in. One of the aspects I loved from the outset with this venue was the layout. Quite large and taking place inside of a part of the University of Sydney, it was three-tiered. The upper tier wrapped around itself around the stage, with the third being your traditional floor area. But it was the thinner second-tier that impressed me the most as a clever installation. Mostly a step between the two other tiers, what separated it from being only this was the two walkways the led right down to either end of the stage. As these were railed, it meant you could effectively be a part of ‘the pit’, without actually being in it if you wanted to just enjoy the show without being thrashed about. It was a simple but ingenious idea, and I wish more venues (Melbourne, especially) had venues with this design. Furthermore, with the design of the ceiling almost being like a wave, it meant the sound travelled throughout the venue with crisp, sharp clarity. From every side and level, you felt like you were right there with the band amidst the action; without ever needing be in the very thick of it.

Come “Nil” and beyond, frontman Chrigel Glanzmann’s vocals cleaned up a bit. Whilst a little off with “King”, the sound was better stabilised around this mark. However, what is noticeable is the effect the past two nights of the An Evening With Eluveitie format in Australia are clearly having on Chrigel’s throat. He strained quite a bit at a number of moments, but that being said, it never felt too beyond a mild occurrence.

What was quite interesting about tonight was the sheer volume of material Eluveitie had to pull from. There were always going to be a few left out, but having a two-hour timeframe in which to utilise, Sydney were treated to such beautiful renditions of their songs as a gorgeous Swiss-German version of “Call of the Mountains” (that felt more emotive and powerful than the original), “Slania’s Song”, “Kingdom Come Undone” (which earned a large and amusing circle pit), “Siraxta”, and more. What was also interesting to note was the differences in presence of the various members up on stage too. There was definitely a vibe on stage at times. While all professionals, at most parts it was fine, but at others there was definite tension between some. And though members like guitarist Ivo Henzi stood there and did their own thing, you had others like Kay Brem (bass) who was quite outgoing and Matteo Sisti (bagpipes, whistles) who stayed to the back and focused on his playing. Merlin Sutter largely focused on just his drumming, but still gave it his all too; adding that unique style and flavour of his that only he could bring.

Anna Murphy (vocals/hurdy-gurdy) and Shir-Ran Yinon (vocals/violin) were not unsurprisingly centre-stage at most points of the set. Anna brought her usual effervescence and warm, welcoming presence to the performance; and the moments in which she sang in ancient Gaulish were enchanting. Over the course of the evening, seeing her live again brought to the fore how integral she really was to Eluveitie and it made the night quite a sombre one at times. With Shir-Ran, while always technically flawless and an amazing violinist, she was also quite reserved as a vocalist. At the times she sang, her vocal movements were very conservative and shy. When they sang together, she was mostly drowned out by Anna’s performance. Whether there weren’t enough vocal tracks in the mix or if it was simply her performance, it was hard to tell. But what was clear is that added stage presence in Shir-Ran’s live performance is much needed.

Going to one of the best and more fascinating segments of the show, the acoustic part of An Evening With Eluveitie was sheer brilliance – both on the band’s part and of their music. Due to the folkish style that Eluveitie have made their own, it also felt a natural step to have a show that fully explored this. And this night gave it to us. Having about five songs that covered this area, a beautiful acoustic version of “A Rose for Epona” really brought out the instrumentation and inspired nature of Anna’s vocals in a way the studio version never has. “Omnos” also fit this format incredibly well, but again, Shir-Ran was overshadowed here. Treated to new track “Grannus” off Eluveitie’s forthcoming album, ‘Evocation Part II: Pantheon’, the speed of this track made it a very lively folky song, and one you could almost imagine being played during an ancient feast over the clinking of ale glasses and the roasting of meat.

As the band closed out the ceremonies in style, they gave thanks before roaring applause and cheer; sounding out the end of an era for this band, and to a new hope and change for another horizon.

Eluveitie hit Melbourne tonight with Stormtide. Tickets available now from Tombowler Entertainment.

Sat 21 May – Melbourne – Max Watts (Hi/Fi)
Support: Stormtide

Sun 22 May – Adelaide – The Gov
Support: Orpheus Omega

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