The Middle Kingdom - Cruachan

Cruachan's second album is the pinnacle of their career, catching them between their more vicious black metal days and their later, more successful releases as a band increasingly focusing on folk. The most impressive and unusual thing about this album is just how diverse it manages to be, a far cry from the repetitive flute melodies of its predecessor. Opener 'A Celtic Mourning' is a sombre bagpipe instrumental, 'Celtica' is something of a folk-thrash piece and 'Unstabled' even features a distinct reggae chorus. Karen Gilligan is introduced as the band's secondary vocalist, and her clean singing works excellently against the black metal growls that still ...