Swiss band Eluveitie have been peddling their folk metal for a few years now, but "Spirit" is their first full-length effort, after the remaster of their self-released debut album "Vên" caused a little bit of a stir in the folk metal scene.

Whereas some folk-metal bands are folk in name only, occasionally using an acoustic guitar or a flute to provide a bit of texture to their songs, Eluveitie go full out with the folk, with a variety of Celtic-influenced instruments and themes on almost every track. I'll have to check with my editor to see if Switzerland is one of the Celtic countries (Ed: It's not), but the band have got the sound nailed down just right, with atmospheric pieces like Aidu perfectly capturing the feel and spirit of a bleak, windswept moor or bog in Scotland or Ireland. On the other hand, as tracks like Your Gaulish War show, the band is also perfectly adept at creating bone-crunching death metal. This makes the band one of those rare hybrids that can cut it as either a folk band or a metal band, which results here in music that's uncommonly varied and fresh across the whole album.

The title track, which begins the album, is a good illustration of what you can expect from this album. Beginning with some white noise and ambience, a single fiddle enters the mix, quickly joined by some chanting. Just when it seems like its going to play out into a soft introduction piece, the vocals come in on the back of some thundering guitar. The whole thing is epic, despite the fact that it's all over in a bit over two minutes.

The Celtic theme is kept up on Uis Elveti, which was also present on their last release. Again, it not only features various folk instruments as well as crushing distorted guitar riffs, but it has a nice interplay between loud and soft moments, the occasional lapse in fury and noise making their inevitable return all the more aggressive. Your Gaulish War and Of Fire, Wind, and Wisdom, bar the occasional folk touches, tend more towards the death metal side of things, but Aidu, with its gentle, female vocals, proves that the band are quite adept at jumping between genres, without making the music feel disjointed.

Folk fans or death metal purists might be a little frustrated by the "tainting" of their favourite genre on "Spirit", but for those of us with more of an open mind, this is a very tasty offering. Recommended for the intelligent metal fan who wants to try something just a little bit different.