The Morrigan's Call

There is no other band quite like Cruachan. I've been listening to them since I first heard the song "The Middle Kingdom" on an old Hammerheart records comp CD in 1998 and have been closely following their career ever since. They continued to get better and better with every album, their pinnacle being the "Pagan" album from a few years ago, so I obviously had high expectations for the Irish bands latest. Unfortunately, the album is rather hit or miss.

First, the good news. Karen sound better than she ever has before. Having transformed herself from an average vocalist to a good one, she almost singlehandedly carries the songs "The Great Hunger" and "Wolfe Tone". Not that she'll ever be confused with, for example, Floor from After Forever, though. Plus, the production is crystal clear, the benefits of being on a bigger label shining through. Songs like "Diarmuid and Grainne" "The Brown Bull of Cooley" and the aforementioned "Wolfe Tone" rank among the best in their career.

However, not all the news is great. Opener "Shelob" is incredibly annoying, sounding like something you might hear at a carnival, instead of the Celtic atmospheres they're known for. "Teir Abhaile Riu" is too long, and others, such as the title track, are too short. They also continue the irritating trend of taking old classics and re-recording them, this time with "Cuchulainn" which still kicks ass but was just as good in its original version on "Tuatha Na Gael" And their version of "The Wild Rover", while interesting, isn't nearly as entertaining as Tyr's!

Bottom line: If you like Cruachan in the past, then you can't go wrong getting this album, despite my nitpicking. If you've always hated the band, there is nothing here that'll change your mind about them.