SODB – DON SEANTALAMH A CHUID FEIN LP (Into The Void Records)

‘Don Seantalamh A Chuid Féin’ is a demo which was originally released on cassette format last year and has just been reincarnated on vinyl by the guys who run Dublin’s only record store worth visiting. For the first time in 20 years, I actually purchased a record across the counter – happened to be in the city for the day and just popped in to save myself a few Euros on postage.

It was a nostalgic experience as the excitement of visiting record shops and taking the merchandise home for immediate consumption is largely a thing of the past in this modern era (not that this is a particularly bad thing, I suppose (cyberspace is handy)).

A fledgling Irish Black Metal band that delivers some truly hypnotic fare on this debut release, Sodb’s songs are haunting, melancholic, sombre yet uplifting in that twisted way. There’s a keen sense of melody in their work and a healthy dose of raw aggression as well. Four lengthy offerings comprise almost 35 minutes in total … and this costs just €12.

Half of the songs included are in the creators’ ancient native tongue and all lyrics are printed (as gaeilge and in English) on a nice inlay. Apart from the spoken part on ‘Tethered’ (which isn’t to my personal taste), I really, really like this record. Check it out.

Evilometer: 666/666