Despite their extremely competent musicianship and solid songwriting skills, obscure doom metal outfit
Mourn is perhaps best remembered for the presence of a female singer within their ranks, a true rarity in the doom metal field. Carried forth by singer Caroline Wilson's highly operatic style, the band's doleful anthems of woe acquire an even more dramatic quality, particularly reminiscent of early
Candlemass. Powerful, but not all that flexible, her voice still manages to provide an interesting contrast for the group's ungodly de-tuned riffs, a combination which is best exemplified on the surging "Iron Sky" and the almost overwhelmingly heavy "Children of the Circle." Somewhat less inventive tracks like "Drowning" and "Through These Eyes" see the album taking a nose-dive, quality-wise halfway through, but
Mourn manage to recover in time for a strong finale, delivered via the surprising acoustics of "After All" and yet another excellent riff-wielding behemoth called "Forever More." All in all, a pretty solid doom metal album for serious fans to seek out. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia