Cruachan - 'Blood On The Black Robe'

Blood On The Black Robe is the sixth album from Dublin-based folk metallers Cruachan, in a career that has perhaps never taken off the way many had hoped or expected. While the folk metal scene has exploded and spawned a number of world-renowned bands, Cruachan’s profile has remained noticeably lower – well-respected in underground circles for sure, but a largely unknown quantity in the mainstream.

With the departure of long-standing female vocalist Karen Gilligan paving the way for founding member Keith Fay to take sole charge of vocals, there is much anticipation that this record will see a return to the heavier, black metal-influenced sound of earlier albums and that, while the band might not exactly be drinking in the last chance saloon, now is the time for them to step up a gear and release a record that finally establishes them on a world stage.

The good news is they may just have done it. Blood On The Black Robe is not an instant record, but it is an insistent one. For a listener prepared to invest a little bit of time, these eleven tracks show themselves to be wildly creative and incredibly rewarding, suggesting that after too many years below the radar, Cruachan is at the peak of its powers and possesses a newfound deadly intent.

As hoped, the black metal influence is back. As early as opening track “I Am Warrior”, traditional Irish folk is combined with ice cold old school riffs and cleverly utilised blastbeats, while the malevolent title track shifts smoothly from acoustic folk to majestic extreme metal reminiscent of both Enslaved and latter-day Satyricon.

It’s a huge compliment to the album that, as a body of work, there is nothing in the way of weak links. It’s an album in the traditional sense, with each track being a vital step on a much longer journey. The growled vocals of Fay are extreme in nature throughout, but interestingly, every single word is entirely audible which not only adds immensely to the sense of grandiose storytelling present here, but also makes Cruachan much more accessible to fans who might normally baulk at the thought of embracing extreme music.

The only potential stumbling block for Cruachan is that in a genre dominated by throwaway hymns to beer drinking and cover versions of 1970s disco anthems, their intense, intelligent and provocative music proves too challenging for fans interested in nothing more than raising their imitation drinking horns. That would be a shame, as Blood On The Black Robe deserves to be heard.

(Released April 19, 2011 on Candlelight Records)

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