Cruachan - The Morrigans’ Call
AFM Records

file under different metal

Vera: Cruachan is one of the longest active bands that blend metal with folk. When the band was founded in 1992 by Keith Fay – he still is the spiritual leader of the frisky horde – together with his brother John and friend John Clohessy, bands who mixed heavy music with native folklore were countable on one hand. When their first album ‘Tuatha Na Gael’ was released in 1995, people talked about a revelation, surely when it appeared to be quite extreme metal (read: black metal) that Cruachan threw between the debauched Irish folk tunes. After this prosperous start, the band went through strenuous times too, mainly due to problems with labels and not that good recording/sound quality of their after all brilliant songs.

It happened recently again, this album was finished and ready for a summer release and suddenly Black Lotus Records went bankrupt. Fortunately they found almost immediately shelter at AFM Records so that we did not have to wait too much longer on ‘The Morrigans’ Call’. The instrumentation has to be known by now: these Irishmen lug a whole arsenal of flutes and whistles with them and besides classical metal instruments, sounds are created on diverging instruments such as violin, fiddle, bouzouki, mandolin, banjo, bodhràn (an Irish drum), Irish harp, mandocello, and so on. Vocals are honestly shared by female singer Karen “I am not deduced at all by this hubbub” Gilligan and the on this album mainly black metallish throat of Keith Fay. Only in the first song ‘Shelob’ John Ryan contributes some death grunts. Indeed, you are reading it well: this album is much heavier than for example ‘Folk-Lore’, a tendency which was cautiously returned to at ‘Pagan’ (2004). In songs like ‘Shelob’, ‘Téir Abhaile Riù’ and ‘Diarmuid And Grainne’ we find ourselves one moment at an extreme black metal gig and a few minutes later we can dance on a folkloristic event. Fortunately the recording quality has improved. Furthermore we have some short intermezzos which are mainly folk allied. ‘Coffin’ (melancholic excerpt on flute), ‘The Old Woman In The Woods’ (joyful track with female vocals) and ‘The Morrigan’s Call’ (evoking the atmosphere of an Irish pub) are kind of gateways to longer compositions. Amongst them one can find three exceptional, outstanding songs. ‘The Great Hunger’ is the first one deserving a trophy. It begins with melancholic violin and acoustic guitars, can be proud on its delicious, monumental doom riffs and evolves towards fast-paced ferocious black metal vocals. Violins express despair. That’s the kind of song they should write more often. Another highlight is the more classical heavy metal alike ‘Ungoliant’ with lots of violins. It rules by its galloping rhythms, marvellous solos and renaissance tinge. Finally the last song has really fetching, conjuring ethnic percussion (here we have that bodhràn!).

Nowadays Cruachan might not sound really world-shaking or extravagant anymore – I do listen with as much pleasure to albums of Korpiklaani, Elvenking or Tyr – yet they have written another album with an authentic identity. Check out ‘The Morrigans’ Call’, for they really originate from the area of Celtic music, mythology and history.

Rating 83/100 (details)

http://www.cruachan.cjb.net

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Cruachan - The Morrigan's Call (CD)

€ 14.99 € 9.99