Prior to pressing play on my hi-fi my only knowledge of Mael Mordha was that they entered the Eurovision Song Context a few years ago. And having listened to through the album once thus far I wish I’d been a little more pro-active in finding out more. These Irishmen play a folk-tinged doom they refer to as Gaelic Doom Metal. A description that aptly sums up the style of vocals and use of traditional instruments within the blueprint of 90’s Doom. Needless to say it’s quite infectious.
The album opens with the bludgeoning “Through the Lungs of the Dead” which features the haunting howls of wind instruments over the heavy chug of the band’s doomy backbone. “The Summoning” sounds like the straighter doom style of bands like Candlemass and Pentagram while downplaying their folk side. “The Doom of the Races of Eire” is as epic as the name suggests - great riffing over the tradition flutes and a beefy production give the song a real cinematic quality. “Our Ancestors Dwell Here” has a fantastic introduction - the guitar sounds and flute work really well to create a misty-eyed feeling for the vocals to build upon. The title track “Manannan” opens with a bit of acoustic guitar that crashes into the song proper - sounding structurally like your standard folk-metal track it lacks the kick of its predecessors.
“A Nation in Ruins” goes back to that classic doom, riff driven sound in the same way as “The Summoning” but has an added kick in the form of the Gaelic lyrics. “The Gaedhilic Twilight” is a great heavy track - nice up-tempo guitars and thunderous drumming, definitely a crowd pleaser. The final track “Back to Eire I go with a Heavy Heart” again is a bludgeoning track with guitars straining under their own distortion and rousing vocals - a suitably cinematic closer.
This is a damn fine album with some great performances and production at work. It’s easily one of the smartest folk-influenced metal albums I’ve heard in a long time, and something the band should push as hard as possible. Some of the tracks do drag a little past the 5 minute mark but on the whole it’s a great listening experience.
http://www.mael-mordha.com
http://www.myspace.com/maelmordha
