Mourn

Not much room for mourning here as this outfit were quickly grabbed by Lee Dorrian’s Rise Above label once the man got exposed to their “For Evermore” demo. Yep, this was right up his alley, curt brutal non-fussy grind with strong echoes of Napalm Death… kidding here, this was vintage traditional doom in the spirit of Pentagram and Saint Vitus, with female vocals.

Please, don’t think Sacrilege’s “Turn Back Trilobite” immediately; this is a slower-motion recording, not as epic-sounding, the diva behind the mike, the name Caroline Wilson, eliciting more composure, seldom going beyond her hypnotic stoned croon tactics. The latter perfectly suffices to lead this procession here which doesn’t experience too many radical changes of heart once the heavy mid-paced tone has been introduced with the trad doom exemplifier “Awakening”, with "Iron Sky” bringing the early Sabbath repertoire alongside a cool memorable chorus. Later mellower balladic overtones (“Children of the Circle”) pacify the setting even further, but lethargy never becomes synonymous with this recording, the band keeping the doom flowing with either more serious darker sprawls (“Drowning”) or with more direct playful anthems (“Through These Eyes”). “Dreamless Sleep” recalls the mentioned Sacrilege opus with a bumpier, more confrontational layout, but expect more laid-back balladic pageants (“After All”) again, the title-track notching up the heaviness for an academic near-funeral march.

Wilson again doesn’t emit a lot of passion, something she should have done on the ballad-prone material. Her timbre falters a bit at times, like she isn’t quite certain how to handle this or that particular line, wondering whether to pitch it higher or to stay within the safer lower-tuned parameters. Under the circumstances, it’s surprising that she later found a bigger field for realisation on the club/pop music field. She and her comrades will by all means be remembered in the doom metal realm as well, their only album a perfectly acceptable entry, done by the genre canons, by no means overtly rowdy but definitely not poignantly soporific.

The band members didn’t give up the doom metal idea after this band’s dissolution but swung in a more stonery direction with two formations, Sloth (that’s another one) and the already operational Hangnail. Later in the new millennium some of them helped with the reformation of the legends Angel Witch. Not too mournful, the continuation of their careers… until another lucrative offer from (Rise) Above.

Obscure doom metal is a haven for some lavish and luscious, yet mostly undiscovered material. It’s surprising how much material there is that lays covered by the dust of a forgotten era and which is hidden under an influx of impressive, talented and young bands. Acts like England’s Mourn have been long since forgotten by the vast majority of fans despite their music being long lasting and still profound. From the heavy metal influenced traditional side, with it’s Sabbath influence and high pitched clean vocals, to the darker side of funeral doom, with it’s eerily long and powerful expressions of the most negative emotions. Although Mourn don’t specifically fit into either of these sub-genres, both funeral and traditional, they are certainly a new breed of doom, at least for the era in which it was produced. There are a number of surprising facts regarding Mourn and further makes me wonder why their material has not extensively been covered by the rampant Metal Archives reviewers. First, Mourn have ties to very well known bands, all of whom have had a significant impact upon both the British scene, and the global scene in terms of the doom industry. Ties to bands such as Solstice and Sloth should surely draw in fans from various areas. Second, Mourn were signed to Rise Above Records, a label that is home to many prominent bands such as; Capricorns, Electric Wizard, Moss and Orange Goblin. Third, Mourn’s vocalist, Caroline Wilson went on to become a pop singer, which I found strange and finally, the British scene has been covered extensively, but somehow most people have managed to miss Mourn.

Instrumentally, Mourn have a distinctive sound, probably ascertained by the absorbing vocals from Caroline Wilson. Although I have heard better female vocalists, one would have to say that this style is innovative for the time, therefore it must be given a certain amount of credit for it’s affecting approach. Her vocals are clean, which suit’s the dense production that the record is surrounded in. Her voice is melodious, which compliments the harsher tones of the distorted guitars, which don’t lean as heavily towards melody as her voice does. She has a good vocal range, though her voice can tend to sound fairly monotonous at times, which is disappointing. Her voice is rather deep, which is unusual, but it suit’s the specific needs of the production which, as I previously touched upon, is dark and dense, which pertains to the traditional sense of doom metal, which is meant to produce dark emotions from the soundscapes and in the individual listening to the material on offer. Her voice may not be the strongest aspect of the record, but one can certainly appreciate her inclusion and thinks it wise of the musicians to include her characteristics and personality to the record. She adds something unusual and unique to the record, which much of the material released in this era of doom didn’t necessarily possess. There is also an accessibility to her voice. As stated, her vocals are always clean, and are never overbearing, which is perfect for the production and instrumentation requirements. With the vocals being clean, the lyrics are audible so they can be made out, despite not being provided.

The guitars are another central figure, creating a number of obscure leads. This record doesn’t rely too much on experimental solos, as it seems to be a ‘team effort’ from all musicians contributing to the record. Although elements like the bass, and perhaps the lacklustre percussion, may lag behind the unique aspects of the record, such as the vocals, the instrumentation does tend to fit together rather well and doesn’t hinder the progress or direction that the record takes. The bass is low, but does lead, as shown on songs like ‘Dreamless Sleep’, when the bass takes control of the central movement of the song until the solos pour in from the guitars. The direction is another odd aspect of this record. Caroline’s voice isn’t overpoweringly emotive, but it certainly does conjure up imagery of picturesque landscapes, perfectly shown through her voice and the guitars on songs like ‘After All’. Although, as stated, her voice can be slightly monotonous, the instrumentation doesn’t allow a lack of emotion to flow through to the listener, who is in awe of the acoustics specifically used on the aforementioned ‘After All’. Accompanied by the abstract soundscapes, intense guitars and intriguing bass, songs like this significantly alter the opinion of the record in a positive manner. Although this record won’t match the best that Britain, or even that doom has to offer, it’s good regardless.