Mael Mordha Gealtacht Mael Mordha
Grau grau010 March 17, 2007
By Wayward_Son
Mael Mordha returns two years after their highly ignored debut full-length, Cluain Tarbh. This writer felt Cluain Tarbh was a solidly written, original piece of music. While it was a bit rough around the edges, these Irish sons more than made up for the flaws with passion and a hunger for their self proclaimed Gaelic Doom Metal to be heard outside their own island.
Gealtacht Mael Mordha is, more or less, and extension of the debut. Not much has changed in the Mael Mordha camp. The songs still permeate that epic, mighty doom aesthetic. Atlas of Sorrow is a perfect example of what Mael Mordha is capable of creating, and is easily the strongest song of the seven. A sprawling ten-minute saga about an ancient kings despair over his country on the breach of war, the song is able to breath and never feels rushed. The piano only adds to the melancholic mood, as it is masterly placed. The Struggle Within is certainly Mael Mordhas most traditional heavy metal sounding song. It moves at a strong pace almost the entire way, and again, the piano playing of the vocalist seeps into the song and adds that other dimension.
This writer does have a couple of issues with Gaeltacht Mael Mordha. First of all, its inconsistent. With excellent songs such as the two mentioned earlier, and the title track, the band was able to harness all their powers and talents and create some stunning epic, heavy doom. On the other side of this coin, Godless Commune of Sorrow and A Window of Madness do nothing for the band or the album, except slow down the momentum the other songs built. The central problem this writer has with Gealtacht Mael Mordha is that it is too immediate. It seems there is not much depth to the music itself, not much to be found under the surface. This writer has listened to the album countless times now, and in all honesty, it is still enjoyed to an extent. It is difficult to put into words, but this writer feels that he has heard all there is to hear from Mael Mordha, that further listens will reveal nothing.
That is not to say Gealtacht Mael Mordha is to be ignored. On the contrary, this album will be enjoyed by any who fancy traditional doom or heavy metal, any type of folk metal, and perhaps even an escape for black metal enthusiasts. The bands heart is certainly in the right place, as this writer feels nothing but honesty and purity in the music of Mael Mordha.
Official Mael Mordha Website
Official Grau Website
Grau grau010 March 17, 2007
By Wayward_Son
Mael Mordha returns two years after their highly ignored debut full-length, Cluain Tarbh. This writer felt Cluain Tarbh was a solidly written, original piece of music. While it was a bit rough around the edges, these Irish sons more than made up for the flaws with passion and a hunger for their self proclaimed Gaelic Doom Metal to be heard outside their own island.
Gealtacht Mael Mordha is, more or less, and extension of the debut. Not much has changed in the Mael Mordha camp. The songs still permeate that epic, mighty doom aesthetic. Atlas of Sorrow is a perfect example of what Mael Mordha is capable of creating, and is easily the strongest song of the seven. A sprawling ten-minute saga about an ancient kings despair over his country on the breach of war, the song is able to breath and never feels rushed. The piano only adds to the melancholic mood, as it is masterly placed. The Struggle Within is certainly Mael Mordhas most traditional heavy metal sounding song. It moves at a strong pace almost the entire way, and again, the piano playing of the vocalist seeps into the song and adds that other dimension.
This writer does have a couple of issues with Gaeltacht Mael Mordha. First of all, its inconsistent. With excellent songs such as the two mentioned earlier, and the title track, the band was able to harness all their powers and talents and create some stunning epic, heavy doom. On the other side of this coin, Godless Commune of Sorrow and A Window of Madness do nothing for the band or the album, except slow down the momentum the other songs built. The central problem this writer has with Gealtacht Mael Mordha is that it is too immediate. It seems there is not much depth to the music itself, not much to be found under the surface. This writer has listened to the album countless times now, and in all honesty, it is still enjoyed to an extent. It is difficult to put into words, but this writer feels that he has heard all there is to hear from Mael Mordha, that further listens will reveal nothing.
That is not to say Gealtacht Mael Mordha is to be ignored. On the contrary, this album will be enjoyed by any who fancy traditional doom or heavy metal, any type of folk metal, and perhaps even an escape for black metal enthusiasts. The bands heart is certainly in the right place, as this writer feels nothing but honesty and purity in the music of Mael Mordha.
Official Mael Mordha Website
Official Grau Website
