It’s fair to say that Eluveitie’s acoustic Evocation II has been a highly-anticpated album ever since Evocation I‘s release about eight years ago. However, featuring only two members that performed on the first Evocation album, it’s fair to say that there’s a very different dynamic on this one – and unfortunately, it just doesn’t hit the spot.
Eluveitie albums are always fairly lengthy, but at eighteen tracks this one does feel somewhat long and arduous despite clocking in at under an hour in duration. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that the music as a whole is massively underwhelming, but it just drags and goes on and on. There’s a lot of rehashed ideas, with some tracks simply sounding like re-jigged versions of tracks from Evocation I and others not bringing anything to the table.
Somewhat ironically, one of the strongest tracks of the album (Lvgvs, which has also been released as a single) sounds like a merging of ideas from Omnos and Luxtos – and whilst catchy, it’s a shame that one of the best tracks is not much more than a re-imagining of some older ideas.
Eluveitie definitely aren’t firing from all cylinders with Evocation II – Pantheon, which is a shame because as soon as this album was announced I was filled with excitement to hear it. It’s also a shame because it doesn’t give the best introduction to the new members – but hopefully this is a one-off and they’ll be back stronger with their next metal album.
2/10
