| DUST Review |
Mourning Beloveth - "Dust" Ireland's self-described leading exponents of doom, Mourning Beloveth, make their compact disc debut in the world with 'Dust', over an hour of slow, mournful music in 5 separate parts. This CD was my first introduction to the band's material, that I bought on little more than a whim, and I was impressed enough to get in touch with the singer for more information and recordings. It's simply not that often that you hear this kind of music anymore, patterned in the prototype of bands like My Dying Bride, Anathema and the like. Add the fact that the band are from Ireland and are bound to introduce aspects of their cultural background and this makes things all the more interesting. Of course Ireland does not have a large presence in the world as far as metal is concerned, but of what I have heard from that part of the globe, I've been consistently impressed. In Mourning Beloveth's case, there is intelligence, sensitivity, and a genuine passion in what they create, probably made real from actual experiences in suffering and deep tragedy. One can therefore feel, with little effort, the really oppressive sense of pain and loss in 'Dust', a genuine desperation, hopelessness, etc. My favorite moments must be in the title track and the final song, "All Hope Is Pleading". The former is nearly 15 minutes long and totally draining, while the latter track builds to a crushing emotional crescendo by its conclusion. The music is generally simple and repetitive, but there are occasionally moments that break from that simplicity, as, for example, the striking solo guitar in "The Mountains Are Mine," which immediately comes to mind. All five of the tracks follow a similar theme: slow, heavy, hypnotic. A tasteful three-minute hidden instrumental track is also included towards the end. Although, taken as a whole, "Dust" does not represent any major innovations or breakthroughs, it is refreshing in its own way simply because, as I've already remarked, not too many bands choose to play slow doom/death anymore. Moreover, of those bands that play it, not many can really pull it off and do it well. And in this way especially, Mourning Beloveth is a rare exception. Something to look further into, I would say. Y. Arkadin
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