Beautiful Celtic Doom (Dust - Mourning Beloveth)

Member Name: Burning_Darkness

Product:	Dust - Mourning Beloveth
Date:	26/06/09 (13 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Full of beautiful melodies, well constructed songs that take time to grow

Disadvantages: Not the most original of albums

Mourning Beloveth specialise in epic, romantic doom, which, being from Ireland, they manage to infuse with a subtle celtic feel. Comparisons to My Dying Bride are unavoidable, and its clear that Mourning Beloveth are heavily influenced by them: from the dejected spoken word vocals that sound almost exactly like those of MDB singer Aaron Stainthorpe, to the familiar funeral-doom triple beat and cymbal splash they employed so often early in their career, to the epic, sorrowful, yet uplifting lead guitar lines that the Bride do so well, it's clear where Mourning Beloveth's loyalties lie.

On this, their debut 2001 album 'Dust', Mourning Beloveth seemingly channel much of MDB's discography all at the same time, at once sounding wholly familiar but still managing to retain an identity of their own. Whilst there are the occasional shifts towards more urgent tempos here and there, 'Dust' is generally very slow, bordering on funeral doom at times, and its songs feel very open and unhurried, building gradually towards flourishes of bittersweet melody, accompanied by a mix of low grows and soaring, clean singing. There are chugging riffs here and there, and occasional interludes of guitar finger picking, and the album sounds very organic as a whole.

As with much of Mourning Beloveth's material, much of the pleasure here is in the waiting, as the band employ great restraint, making it all the more enjoyable when the songs finally break over into melancholy outbursts of overflowing emotion. The songs here require time to breathe, with the cautiously hopeful guitar melodies taking time to slowly chip away at the listener's emotions.

There's nothing really here doom fans wont have heard before, but that doesnt stop 'Dust' from being a hugely enjoyable album that succeeds in being deliciously miserable in a way in which only a handful of bands, amongst them My Dying Bride and Draconian, know how.

Tracklisting-

1. The Mountains Are Mine 09:35
2. In Mourning My Days 06:36
3. Dust 14:48
4. Autumnal Fires 12:01
5. All Hope Is Pleading 10:03
6. Sinistra 02:59
Total playing time 01:01:11

Summary: A moving and enjoyable listen