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 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Go to the Cruachan website  Cruachan - The Middle Kingdom [Hammerheart records - 2000]

Buy this CD now!
Wow. Here is something you don't hear often : a bag-pipe intro. And what an intro it is, lasting for an entire four minutes. Not to be annoying, but I really think that 3 minutes would have been enough, as most times it starts to bore me before the entire song is done, and I generally start the CD at song 2, "Celtica (Voice Of The Morrigan)". The title alone is a dead give-away. The band name, cover art, album title, and song titles all fight to make it clear the most that Celtic and its history and mythology were a major influence. Celtic influenced metal, or probably even better Celtic Metal is what Cruachan brings, and to my knowledge there are not a great many (Irish) bands who can say the same.

Female vocals in abundance on this album, but rather than taking a back-seat and letting the male vocals drive, Karen Gilligan's voice in in the fore throughout the better part of the CD. She is a good enough vocalist, and her voice certainly fits the more melodic parts. And there are a lot of those. This would be one of my first little problems with the band. The balance between melody and metal is good -in the songs that actually contain any metal. There are a couple songs which are (almost) completely accoustic. Normally I wouldn't mind that much, but the band might have been a bit more experimental with the melody-lines. While the lines in and off it self are good, the band normally has one or more instruments playing the same melody. Often an instrument just copies the line that Karen sang. I for one would have liked to see the band experiment a bit more, and try to play different melody lines at the same time, as I think the harmonie would certainly add to some of the songs. Plus, by repeating these melody-lines so much, some songs can get a bit boring at times.

There are definitely noteworthy songs on this CD, though. The afore-mentioned "Celtica" is a good song in itself, as is "A Druids Passing". The three songs that stand out most are "Óró Sé Do Bheatha Abhaile", "Unstabled (Steeds Of Macha)" and the title track, coincidentally the only three with male lead-vocals. To start with the first, here's a very brief characteristic of what it sounds like : The Pogues on Metal, doing a Gaelic version of "What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor?", and for all I know, it might even be that same song ! This is a more common problem with Cruachan; some of the melody-lines sound -very- familiar. I think they might have paid a bit more attention to that. The clean male voice isn't too great, but then again, neither is Shane MacGowan's. Next up is "Unstabled". In case you ever were wondering what Ska-Metal would sound like done by a Celtic Metal band, this is the song to check out. And here I was thinking that Devin Townsend had explored all weird combinations with Metal ! I have to give the band credit for this daring combination, though. The title track, "The Middle Kingdom" is, unfortunately, one of a kind on this here CD. This features a furious black metal voice duelling of with Karen's vocals. Truly the best song on the CD, with Karen thankfully not being pushed back into a mere supporting role. I understood the band's debut-CD, "Tuatha na Gael", was more like this song, and if so, I really must go find it sometime, as this song makes one hunger for more.

But wait, I'm not done yet. There are still a few more points of criticism left. I must say I find the drums to be totally disappointing. It is almost as if they picked up a drummer who'd just had his first year or two of playing drums. Most of the times they are totally simplistic, and the fills are thoroughly unimaginative. They even made me laugh at one point because the clumsy way they entered the song. No, I really hope that by the next CD Joe Farrell will have practised a great deal more. Tis a pity, since some songs really could have used more, such as a double-bass, which is sorely lacking throughout the entire CD, with "The Middle Kingdom" at times almost pleading for it. The production of the CD could have been better, but is not horribly bad and will suffice. I do think that if Cruachan enter the studio a next time, and they get a better producer who also knows some thins about song-arrangements that the following CD will be improved a great deal. One final remark must be made on the back-cover of the CD. Because of the way the song-titles are given, they are rendered all but illegible. A bit more thought put into this would have been nice.

A final conclusion? Sure. All in all, we've got a nice CD for those who enjoy their Metal in a Celtic way, such as myself. I do think that Cruachan can do a lot better than they display on this CD though. In the meanwhile, I think I'll pop this one in the CD-player every now and then when I'm in the mood for it, while looking forward to their, hopefully soon, upcoming CD. A special thanks must be made for the liner-notes accompanying every song. I really appreciate them.

Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5

Sander Hordijk
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