The Pitch: A fresh, but brief, new EP from Irish blackened death and doom project Beithíoch. FFO: Portal, Behold! The Monolith
What I Like: Beithíoch has been an interesting project to follow, as no two releases have been exactly alike. There is a certain set of tools you can expect with each album, but the way they are put to use is always slightly different. My first foray into the band was with Conquest, an album that mixed Viking sounds and imagery with a darker aesthetic. Ghosts of a World Long Forgotten, on the other hand, saw a shift towards a more cavernous blackened death approach a la Portal or Abyssal. This brings us to this new EP, Storms of War. This release consists of an ambient intro and interlude breaking up two relatively lengthy tracks. The name of the game this time around is doom. Beithíoch has often played with elements of the genre, but this is the most front-and-center it has been. Again, the compositions stand on a foundation of the usual elements: deep, echoing death rasps, humming bass, and guitars that tread the line between sorrowful melody and malicious intent. But this time, everything is much slower and more drawn out; leading to a more somber aesthetic.
Critiques: Personally, I'm not a big fan of doom, so I prefer the previous approaches. Even so, I respect an artist that does something a little different with each subsequent release.
The Verdict: While I'm not overly thrilled or blown away with Storms of War, I continue to be impressed by the quality output from this relatively small projject. If you like blackened doom, you should check this out. If you don't, you should still check out Beithíoch's previous content.
Flight's Fav's: The Jaws of Death
-Review by FlightOfIcarus
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