Mourning Beloveth began in winter 1992 but it wasn't until 1996 that they recorded thier first, untitled, demo with Darren (vocals), Frank (guitar), Brian (bass), Tim (drums). Recorded in eight hours with Adrian Butler at the desk this demo contains two songs and is a raw indication of where Mourning Beloveth stand today. Adrian joined on bass soon after and Brian switched to guitar. This was the lineup that recorded the highly acclaimed Autumnal Fires demo in 1998 (even receiving "Demo of the issue" in Moondance magazine).
Autumnal Fires could be regarded as a 40 minute piece of music as the songs were intertwined with classical piano and it showed a huge progression in the writing and recording stakes. Mainly classed as Doom/Death this was the first steps into achieving a sound of their own and it saw the integration of clean vocals.An extensive tour of Ireland followed being topped off by a support slot to none other than Cathedral in May 1999. Over 1200 copies of Autumnal Fires were sold throughout the undergorund and the MB name spread.
Mourning Beloveth, now brimming with confidence and a renewed vigour decided to take a bold step, like so many of their contemporaries, and record in the famous Academy studios with Magz at the helm. What was produced after seven intense days of recording was "Dust", a sixty six minute Doom masterpiece harking back to the days of the early '90's Doom/Death scene. Dust is a mixture of old and new songs and this creates some of the heaviest and most melancholic music ever. The atmosphere and originality is helped by the greater usage of clean and growling vocals and the perfect production.The strength of the material is helped in no small way by the fact that the same lineup has been together for 5 years at the time of recording Dust.
Following the release of their debut album , Dust, in March 2001 Mourning Beloveth received rave reviews in many established magazines including Terrorizer, Metal Hammer (Greece), Heavy Oder,Was, Metal Ireland, Doom-metal.com, Aardshock along with many others, mostly seeing the band as the saviours of the Doom/Death style of the early 90's. On the strength of this they played some high profile dates with none other Cradle of Filth which was huge exposure for the band. Following this MB hit all four corners of Ireland with their inimitable brand of Doom and gained many new fans along the way and even managed to play in Leeds, Bradford (UK).
Towards the end of the summer2001 and into the long winter the writing process began for the new album. It was now February and they had eight songs written, six of which were finally chosen and recorded at Academy studios, again with Magz at the helm, from April 20 to May 5, 2002.
"The Sullen Sulcus" is a torturous and epic listen that requires the usual MB listening patience and obedience - with six songs over 65 minutes it is not for the feint hearted.
Epic and heavy guitars with a crushing vocal display by both Frank and Darren with an overall growth in melody and production , Mourning Beloveth have shaken off the MDB tag which plagued some reviews of Dust and move into what can simply be called Doom, the Mourning Beloveth way. It was released in December 2002 by Aftermath music and is now available worldwide.
Sentinel Records from Ireland (www.sentinelireland.com)have just re-released Dust with new artwork, a new song from the latest recording sessions and Forever Lost Emeralds (from the Autumnal Fires demo) all of which was remastered by Stuart Anstis. Also available soon on Sentinel is a Mourning beloveth/Lunar Gate split picture 7” with an exclusive song and it is limited to 300 copies.
A european tour is just complete and went from feb 7 to 21st entitled "The DOOMination of Europe" in support of the new album and MB will be joined on the tour by Morgion (US) and The Prophecy (UK). The tour started off in Ireland, travelled to the UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Holland. Check out www.mourningbeloveth.com
An American tour is now in the planning process and will begin in August for 24 dates with Morgion,the prophecy and Unearthly Trance. Should be an interesting month of Doom.
Source: http://www.mourningbeloveth.com
