ALBUM REVIEW: Fiannaíocht – Celtachor

CELTACHOR‘s third full length album, Fiannaíocht, is a concept album based around the younger years of a mythological Irish hero, Finn of the Fianna. There have been changes in the line-up, as well as some new skills acquired by the members, such as the new bassist, Robert Macdomhnail, who also plays the Irish harp. Their aim for the album is to use their passion for music to show the world their view of Irish Mythology.

Smooth guitar melodies harmonise with the whistles and pipes in Sons Of Morna, the first track. This continues for around a minute and a half, when thunderous drums accompanied by a powerful, classically black metal vocal performance by frontman Stephen Roche burst onto the scene. Mixing the gruff and rasping vocals with a much cleaner style works fantastically for telling a story from two different perspectives, with entirely different feels and tones. At the halfway mark, it takes a turn for the instrumental with a foreboding atmosphere hanging thick in the air, building up tension before breaking out into an oppressive and intense blitzkrieg of guitar work and bone-shuddering drumming. The track begins to taper off and dissolve the complexity from the guitars and drums, leaning into a much more simplistic route, enabling the Celtic notes shine through on its own merit.

Introducing Tuiren with a melodic entwining of piped instruments and acoustic guitars, CELTACHOR eases into the first instance of hard-hitting drum blasts and rhythmic pummelling on the guitars, building up the tone and flow before the cackling growls and clean uplifting vocals reveal themselves. Tuiren progresses into a slow guitar solo, in synchronicity with the drums, rhythm guitar and bass, before changing once again into an acoustic-heavy portion on the track, before finally ending with harmonious guitar and pipework, almost as if the two instruments are duelling. It is also worth noting that the track is the longest on Fiannaíocht, by a hefty two minutes, coming in at a whopping nine minute twenty second song.

Great Ships Came From Over The Waves is a wonderful addition to the track listing, with it being the first song on the album to be entirely acoustic and lacking distinguishable vocals. Using classic Gaeilge instruments, such as the bouzouki and bodhran. It’s a rather emotive piece, as you can picture the shanties and the ebb and flow of the waves, sailing across the sea on a perilous voyage, using music to both pass and keep the time. In terms of progression there isn’t much of it, but that lend to the topic of the track well when one thinks about it. Ending Fiannaíocht on a high note, Dubh, Dun Agus Liath definitely comes in the top three tracks for this album. It’s one of the slower paced tracks for the most part, gradually increasing tempo for a minor interval of intense and bludgeoning concussive blasts from the guitarists David Quinn and Fionn Stafford, as well as Anaïs Chareyre killing it on the drums.

Overall, CELTACHOR have created a wonderful album, that while not perfect, is still a magical journey through Irish Mythology. The introduction of new instruments and band members really shows through in Fiannaíocht, the melding of Celtic and black metal creates this interesting fusion of themes that works incredibly well. The harsh and clean vocals play off each other in a beck and call fashion, telling the same story from two different emotional states. This, combined with the classic instruments and modern guitars births a magical and enticing concoction.

Rating: 8/10

Fiannaíocht is out now via Trollzorn.

Like CELTACHOR on Facebook.