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'Imagine a darker, more Gothic Pink Floyd, and you'll be that much closer to getting The Mourning Glory. Longer, epic songs with textured instrumentation prevail on this 5-track CD. This is not pop music, folks; this is for fans of eclectic and psychedelic, odyssey-type concept music. The CD’s final track, “Lilith,” clocks in at well over 8 minutes. The band exhibits a penchant for Eastern music, which has identifiably influenced certain sections of the CD. Sound effects and special effects are effectively panned left and right to give the listener a truly surreal “headphone-trip”-type experience. This five-song EP contains an eerie vocal style ranging from Roger Waters to a hard rock impression of Trent Reznor or early/mid David Bowie. Songs like the debut track “Weighs” move from softer melodic moments to blistering-fast, double-kick drum industrial sounds reminiscent of late ‘80’s Ministry from The Land of Rape and Honey album. The Mourning Glory presents the familiar feel of “Brain Damage/Eclipse” crossed with “The Machine” from Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here albums respectively. As with anything interesting and cool, this band has something going that you can’t quite put your finger on, but you know you like it. I will be very interested to hear The Mourning Glory with a full-length, well-produced recording highlighting the band’s intricate arrangements and musicianship...'~ Tom Leu, Rock River Times 'Other than recalling that they're from Illinois I don't know much about The Mourning Glory. Judging from this 5 song CDEP they seem to be a schizophrenic outfit that can't decide if they're a heavy metal or a prog-psych band. I don't have song titles but two of the tracks consist of pounding heavy metal with aggressive growling vocals and a Stoner rock edge. But there's also some synth effects that lend a spacey atmosphere amidst the metallic assault.
But then there's a nearly 9 minute track that seems to bridge a gap. It begins with a dark Gothic intro section featuring well constructed dual guitar patterns. The atmosphere and vocals are metallic but some of the guitars inject a welcome bit of psychedelia to the mix as well. About half way through the band launch into a grinding metallic onslaught with a seriously scary vibe, but also bits of acid guitar that keep the music in the more cosmic corners of Hell. A good song. Definitely something a little different.
The other two tracks take a very different turn into more overt prog rock territory. One track reminds me of a harder prog rock version of Porcupine Tree. It opens with acoustic guitars and atmospherics that give the music a prog-psychedelic feel. The music gradually builds in volume and intensity and has a bit of a symphonic sound. But then the guitar goes off into a psych rockin solo and the sonic whole takes on a mind bending majestic quality. An excellent song! My favorite of the five. The final track is an easy paced psychedelic prog rocker with an interesting guitar sound that crosses between prog metal and Robert Fripp. I really dig the way the band build up to a frenzy... but only a brief one that quickly but smoothly descends back to a calmer realm that closes the song.
In summary, well I'm not quite sure what to make of The Mourning Glory. Their purer metallic tracks are just ok, while the lengthier goth/metal/psych track was most intriguing, and the heavy prog tunes were pretty darn good. Their Mp3.com web site indicates they've got a full length out now so I'll be curious to hear if they've decided on a more consistent sound.
'~ Jerry Kranitz, Aural Innovations 'I got this submission via e-mail. The band describes themselves as dark ambient new age psychedelic. It's a fair description. What I was sent was a link to their songs on mp3.com.
It appears that the mix of songs are from two different cds, -The Mourning Glory- and -The Dual Nature of All Things.-
The selection starts out with -Earth.- A good keyboard intro, then kicks in with a heavy, moshy, jumpy groove. The drums are a mix of tribal and funky rock.
Next is a more psychedelic song, -Mourning Glory Bittersweet.- It clocks in at 6 minutes, 5 seconds. It has a real full sound and a nice lead.
The songs range from heavy and jumpy to slow and psychedelic. There are some really nice harmonies and musical landscapes. The Mourning Glory seem to have a penchant for long, epic songs. A couple are over 7 minutes long, one is almost 9 minutes long, and yet another is a hair short of a dreadful ten minutes.
Word to the wise: If you're going to write 7-10 minute songs, make sure they hold the listener's attention.
Please don't get me wrong. This is a good band with some strong songs. The stronger songs seem to come from -The Mourning Glory,- while the boring, monotonous ones come from -The Dual Nature of All Things.- I'm assuming (hoping really) that -The Mourning Glory- is their more recent release.
If you're looking for a band with great harmonies, gothic and psychedelic influences, and interesting musical twists, go ahead and check these guys out. Give it a listen at http://www.mp3.com/TheMourningGlory
'~ http://www.geocities.com/christliberty/archives/mo |
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