Mourning Beloveth - The Sullen Sulcus
Aftermath Music
Melodic DoomDeath
6 songs (65'21")
Release year: 2003
Mourning Beloveth, Aftermath Music
Reviewed by Alex
Surprise of the month

About three months ago I reviewed an album called Angels of Distress by a Finnish band Shape of Despair. That band played some of the most sorrowful doom music I have ever heard. Interestingly enough, only a few people left comments on the forum. What is it? Are there very few Metalreviews fans that are into doom? Or everything is OK with your lives, so there is no room in it for an intensely sad music? Well, if pessimism is a part of your lifestyle, the music of Mourning Beloveth would be an excellent sonic companion on the days you are feeling down.

This Irish band is only two full-length albums strong, but it seems to be very popular as indicated by their recent Doomination of Europe tour. I am not familiar with their previous album or a legendary demo, but The Sullen Sulcus is a very good album of slow and heavy doom.

It is difficult to describe The Sullen Sulcus song by song. There are only 6 tracks on the album which runs over 65 min. All songs are slow, brain crushing exercises – just like doom metal should be. Most of the time the album has a tempo of a funeral procession, and once in a while it slows down very much to a halt. Only rarely things speed up, especially to accentuate the flow of melody. Those parts stand out as Mourning Beloveth come up with some beautiful grief-stricken arrangements. Yes, they are repetitive and deeply rooted in the minor keys, but tell me if those melodic leads in The Words That Crawled, It Almost Looked Human, Narcissistic Funeral and Angers Steaming Arrows don’t ooze pain and suffering. What separates Mourning Beloveth from the field is a powerful clean guitar sound. Very rarely they go for a lot of distortion and fuzz in their riffs. Doom, of course, is not an easy genre to listen to, but such good quality guitar captivated my attention from start to finish.

Both Frank Brennan and Darren Moore handle the vocal duties. I can’t tell who does what, but dual approach is used. For the most part the vocals are done in a low guttural brutal death style. This justifies the death doom label attached to the band. However, these Irishmen are not afraid to experiment. In spots the singing is clean, and resonates with despondency of the melodies. Sometimes the clean vocals are plainly spoken, or simply revert to “ahh-ahh” background choruses.

The drummer in a doom band doesn’t have to go 1000 miles per hour, and provide a punchy double bass. Tim Johnson though takes advantage of a lot of open spaces to showcase his tom rolls.

A few transitions within the individual songs are quite radical, and end previous parts abruptly. However, with all its repetitions and the feeling of being dragged through the mud, The Sullen Sulcus is surprisingly “easy” to digest because it has a unique flow to it. Only on a few occasions I felt being tired of the music and wanted the song to end.

Mourning Beloveth is a band to keep an eye on if you are a fan of melodic death doom.

Killing Songs :
The Words That Crawled, Narcissistic Funeral, Angers Steaming Arrows
Alex quoted 78 / 100
Other albums by Mourning Beloveth that we have reviewed:
Mourning Beloveth - A Disease for the Ages reviewed by Alex and quoted 86 / 100
Mourning Beloveth - A Murderous Circus reviewed by Alex and quoted 85 / 100
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