Five years on from the release of their last full-length album, A Disease For The Ages, Irish doom quintet Mourning Beloveth unveil their latest offering, and the six-track, double CD sees the band continue to push the boundaries of their sound while redefining their own identity.
Their first album to feature guitarist Pauric Gallagher, this opus is a harsh record for harsh times and is an uncompromisingly heavy collection of mesmerising melancholy that is unflinchingly bleak throughout. There are moments during Formless where it almost feels like you’re experiencing a fever dream. Occasional acoustic passages (a rarity for MB) help make the darker moments blacker, while Frank Brennan delivers one of his best vocal performances to date on the impassioned Dead Channel.
Final track Transmissions is an undeniable highlight and a real game-changer for the band. Spoken word segments and lilting, trippy Peter Green-esque guitar parts are the spine of the 15-minute epic, and it’s as crushingly heavy in terms of atmosphere and tone as anything they’ve ever done, despite the more measured, quieter approach, and it all helps make Formless a triumph.
