Mourning
Beloveth 'The Sullen Sulcus'
One day in December, I was fumbling around in my letterbox with trembling
hands. If the postal service hadn’t screwed things up, the new Mourning
Beloveth album should have arrived. And yes! There it was! I rushed to
the cd player to put it on while tearing off the cover. Already, the first
bars of ‘The Words That Crawled’ promised not to disappoint
this Doomster.
The second album from the Irish overlords drags slowly and lethargically
from the speakers. ‘The Sullen Sulcus’ is unique in its content.
Comparable, at times, to early Anathema or My Dying Bride, Mourning Beloveth
beggars description. The power that lies in this music truly seeks to
fall on appreciative ears. The heaviness of melancholy still allows Mourning
Beloveth to give the impression of deepest contentment and harmony. Totally
cut loose from the world around, a new universe is created where the rules
of everyday life expire and are redefined. Incomparable are the melodies
and the emotions that are set free in those six songs. Also incomparable
is the natural abandon with which the doom is conveyed. The reason for
this perfection that Mourning Beloveth has achieved may be due to the
fact that they have had the same line-up since 1996, during which time
2 demos (one untitled and ‘Autumnal Fires’) and the debut,
‘Dust’, emerged.
‘The Sullen Sulcus’, even for doom, moves very slowly, which
gives the guitars the opportunity to carry one ingenious melody after
another. The vocals are mostly in the ‘Death’ style but they
are used cognitively to contrast the melodious singing. The clean vocals
are not used very much but each note hits the bull’s eye.
You people, listen to me! Buy this cd! My Dying Bride should pack their
bags faced with this kind of competition in their profession. This work
is slower, heavier, more perfect and melancholic than anything I’ve
heard to date.
P.S. I just want to remind you that MB is honouring us with a tour. Along
with Morgion and The Prophecy, they go on the ‘Doomination of Europe’
Tour and there are already two gigs planned, namely Crailsheim and Jena.
I hope there will be a few more to come!
10/10
from Metalius
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