Mourning Beloveth / Wreck of the Hesperus | ‘Split’

Split releases can be hit or miss affairs. All too often they can consist of duff tracks that weren’t good enough to make the albums, or live versions of songs you already know. The problem of sorting the good from the bad can be made even harder when good bands go down the path of releasing reams of them, usually with groups who aren’t worth the time of day.

It’s noteworthy then when two worthwhile bands decide to do a split that consists of covers of songs that aren’t even remotely metal. It’s even morseo the case when both bands in question are Irish, and of some renown in their homeland and abroad.

Both Wreck of the Hesperus and Mourning Beloveth represent the very best of what underground Doom Metal can consist of. Both are at polar opposite ends of the subgenre, yet have a lot in common. WOTH’s adherence to sonic filth and MB’s more classical approach both represent full commitment to their aesthetics, a full expression of mental torment always being the final goal.

Mourning Beloveth’s take on Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ dark lament ‘The Weeping Song’ seems like one that will translate well into the band’s usual style. However they provide a curveball early on with a lengthy clean intro, the dual vocals playing off each other starkly, before the tension breaks and a wave of distortion washes over the song.

Perhaps the finest moment of the track is the ‘Father’ response, performed on the original by Blixa Bargeld and delivered here through spiteful, gritted teeth, the band’s considerable vocal talent twisting every drop of venom out of the words. It wouldn’t be Mourning Beloveth track without some lead guitar, and a brief but satisfying workout is duly delivered as the song draws to a close.

Perhaps the only shortcoming of the track, confident and powerful as it is, is the brevity of it. It sounds as if the band are only getting into their stride before the bass strikes out the last few notes of the song. Still, it’s a powerful interpretation and the group succeed in putting their stamp on a track that requires plenty of conviction to pull off.

WOTH’s drumming is described in the 10” liner notes as a “Deranged Clattering Pulse from the Stygian Depths”. That itself wouldn’t be a bad description of their take on Tom Wait’s ‘Misery is the River of the World’, which is presented here in all its mutilated glory.

Attempting to recreate Tom Wait’s voice is a nigh-on impossible task, so it makes sense that the group wouldn’t attempt it. Rather they lay down perhaps their most horrific vocal performance yet, a truly red-eyed snarl of the lyrics, and construct a rotten edifice that contains elements of the original around it.

Unhinged guitar progressions and the occasionally intelligible vocal line are just some of the parts that make up this chaotic sounding few minutes. Crucially though, the band manage to portray the original spirit of madness that the original suggests, though it’s been amplified here to suggest the end of the river has been reached and it’s a black abyss leading straight to the noisiest part of Hell.

No doubt sounding like an absolute crucifixion of the song to people who don’t like Wreck of the Hesperus, the group can rest easy knowing they too have imparted their own unique mark on their side of the split. Memorable but uncompromising, they’ve achieved it by mangling their track and spitting it back up, as opposed to the straighter route taken by MB.

This split suggests all the best characteristics of both bands, and instills some impression of the heights that they can, and do, achieve on their own material. Complete with excellent cover art and limited t-shirt featuring the main illustration, it’s hard to say no to this one on any front. Off-beat and worthwhile, it’s a testament to two fine bands pushing themselves in a direction no-one expected, but everyone can enjoy.

4/5 - Lorcan Archer ::: 21/04/10 - (Pardon the squashed cover art - c)