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Mourning Beloveth 'A Murderous Circus'

Doom-Metal 7/10

When I think of the "Emerald Isle", I don't usually think of Doom-Metal, but "Mourning Beloveth" just so happens to call Ireland home. This is pretty straightforward stuff here, there are no questions as to where this band fits into the world of Metal. These lads play old-school UK styled Doom, the stuff pioneered by the likes of Paradise Lost, Anathema, Katatonia, and of course, My Dying Bride. Out of the four mentioned bands of course, only My Dying Bride has stayed close to its roots, so there is indeed an opening or two for a band to be pushing this highly sought after sound. The album clocks in at 75 depressing minutes, but only has five, count em' - 5 - tracks! Songs range from a scant 11:45 to a staggering 19:42, with the other three in the 14-minute range! I have the regular edition of the disc, but fans should know that there is a special digi-pack version out there that contains a separate CD with two bonus tracks; "Part 1", and "Unnamed". With the band's penchant for epic length ditties, that could easily add up to another half hour of music! Anyway, this third outing for the band is pretty decent, not exceptional, but solid. The production has a very "dry" quality to it. No, I can't explain it any better, but we talk about "lush" productions all the time in music, so just try to imagine the opposite. The band has got this whole Doom vibe, circa 1991, down pat, and there is some very strong material here, but there is also a bit of a problem, which seems to be connected to those long-ass running times. For example, "Elemental Nausea", the shortest track at the before mentioned running time of 11:45, has some amazing parts, and is, at it's core, a great Doom song. However, there are at least three passages that come off as repetitive, and sound like they are being extended for the sole purpose of creating a longer track. If at least three minutes were shaved off this sucker, it would be phenomenal, but as is, it gets a little tedious. Long songs are fine, but if you don't have a valid reason (or at least a super-killer riff that you need to exploit) to make a song last half my lifetime, well then just wrap it up already. Bottom line? Good disc, but if properly edited down to an hour, it would probably be great. For more info, you can check out these doomsters at mourningbeloveth.com.