Mourning
Beloveth 'The Sullen Sulcus'
A tad unfairly, perhaps, certain sectors claimed Mourning Beloveth’s ace “Dust” debut LP being a bit too indebted to early 90’s UK doomdeath’s founding forefathers-namely, My Dying Bride and Anathema, and to a lesser extent Paradise Lost. But the mouths of naysayers should snap shut after a mere spin of MB’s second offering,” The Sullen Sulcus” , whereby the Irish quintet truly find their own wings and take flight. Ironic then that the bulk of “…Sulcus” mucks about in the emotional mire and all manner “mournful” (you knew it was coming). Anchored by Darren Moore’s emotive growls and the yearning choir boy on a bender vox of guitarist Frank Brennan, “..Sulcus” is surely within doom metal’s framework, but MB wisely forgo “tradition” in favour of something tangibly ageless here-although the withering ebb to the whole thing otherwise says “old”. Next to the dual vocal interplay, MB’s trump card, is the woozy, lumbering seasickness of their (no less deliberate) rhythms, therby distancing themselves from said forefathers’ regal (yet no less brutish) austerity;think MDB’s “Two Winters Only” set out to sail lonely into exile, and you’re getting closer. But let that be the final MDB reference from here on in. “..Sulcus” sets these lads up for underground superstardom.
8.5/10
Nathan t. Birk
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