A tribute to the ancient Irish goddess of war , sovereignty and death, yet another stellar Celtic Rock album (with definite Black Metal edge) by these brilliant heathen Dubliners. This raucous masterpiece begins with “Shelob”, a song about an evil tyrannical spirit from Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings”, a very Black Metal based intro song, but it goes without saying that the trademark Cruachan gael traditional reels and war drums of Celtic lore are also represented in this dark and heavy first track.
Next we are hit in the head by the magical bronze spear of Cuchulainn, in “The Brown Bull of Cooley”, a Celtic Metal battle song based on the legend of Queen Maeve and the Hound of Ulster, and the quest for the illustrious white bull. This song’s composition is heavily based on traditional ditty, “Star of the County Down”, but fear not, traditional hardliners, it’s still worth a listenafter all, wasn’t Bobby Sands “The Voyage [Back Home in Derry]” – based on Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck o the Edmund Fitzgerald?” ?
Afterwards, it’s a very somber fiddle-based instrumental about the famine- “Coffin Ships” with a haunting flute melody- followed by “The Great Hunger”, a metal based dirge with stirring vocals by Karen Gilligan, whose siren-like wailing is a nice compliment to Keith Fay’s rough howling…This powerful tribute to the 1 million Irish victims of this British generated holocaust.
“The Old Woman in the Woods” is next, and Cruachan really do justice to this old traditional classic, that the Clancy Brothers, The Dubliners and many others have played over the generations. No one can make you feel that Gaelic Thunder like these Dublin rockers.
Next, “Ungoliant”, is another Tolkien-inspired tune, I’m afraid a bit too metallic for my tastes, and with all the craze for “The Lord of the Rings” lately, I was kind of disappointed to see two songs on the same album on this theme, but despite my dislike for the Tolkien trend, there are much worse things to get into these days, and it’s a far cry from the great songs featured elsewhere on this album.
Now, the title track, “The Morrigan’s Call” is afterwards, and it begins with a very heathen metal style acoustic intro that brings to mind many “Folk Metal” and “Viking Metal” bands from Scandinavia….It’s a very well-done – but my only bone of contention is that any song dedicated to the ancient Irish goddess of war and death should have more of a Gaelic than a Nordic sound, don’t you think ? But like I said, it’s still a good tune, especially if you’re more into that metal sound than music that is more Gael-based.
However, afterwards “Teir abhaile riu” (which means “go away home”) proves that I probably spoke to soon, as this tune is sung entirely in the Gaelic language and is more like what we’re expecting when we think of those magical words : Cruachan. This is Cruachan’s Celt-Metal version of an old Gaelic classic that Clannad made famous, about an arranged marriage and a rebellious daughter who goes against her fathers wishes to marry a piper and this tune is about their marital debate…
Probably my favorite song on the entire album is next, an original by the band, “Wolfe Tone”, a brilliant tribute to the grandfather of Irish Republicanism and founder of the United Irishmen….An original – not a cover.
Next, “The Very Wild Rover” is Cruachan’s very rowdy Celtic Rock n’ Reel version of this old Aussie-Irish pub sing-a-long. And probably the best version I’ve heard yet.
Moving on with musical precision, “Cuchulainn” is a remake of the band’s tribute to that brawling unconquered Hibernian Hound of Ulster, that was first heard on the band’s debut album – “Tuatha na Gael” that came out in the late 90’s…..It’s as good as the original and maybe even better, due to the fact that Karen Gilligan wasn’t in the band when their debut album came out – now the dynamic duo Keith Fay and Karen Gilligan make listening to Cruachan that much more of an intense and enjoyable experience…
The “Morrigan’s Call” concludes with the booming Celtic war drums that introduce us to “Diarmuid and Grainne”, and what better way to end a splendid album than with one of the oldest and saddest Gaelic love songs - from none other than the Fenian Cycle of Irish myth….with fantastic art (the cover art is top notch), and brilliant music, even if you’re not much for Metal, this album will not disappoint you. It will take you to another land – if not Tir na n’Og, than damn close !
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