Dun Ringill ‘Welcome’ – Album Review By Adam McCann
Argonauta Records – Doom Metal
Dun Ringill were born when the members of The Order of Israfel decided to take a break back in 2017; joining forces with members of Doomdogs, Silverhorse, Lommi and Intoxicate, Dun Ringill create grinding monolithic riffs with an added flair of Nordic folk music into their repertoire resulting in their debut album ‘Welcome’.
For any fan of the doom metal movement, ‘Welcome’ does not initially shine, it struggles to offer much in the way of anything unique or different. Yes, the rhythms and the riffs are excellent, having all the quality of Candlemass, Pentagram and early Black Sabbath, particularly during ‘The Door’, but this is nothing that hasn’t been done previously. However, what Dun Ringill pull out of their hat which makes them interesting is the ability to suddenly incorporate elements of folk amongst the doom. There is no better example of this than during the title track ‘Welcome to the Fun Fair Horror Time Machine’. This track is as generic as they come until halfway through when suddenly a fluttering flute appears with the song taking a ‘Jethro Tull does doom’ twist and it is these ideas which makes the album very appealing.
Unfortunately, the songs where this doesn’t happen fail to spark and remain immemorable. But, what ‘Welcome’ does offer is a solid platform for the band to build on and it will be interesting to see where Dun Ringill go from here.
Rating : 7/10
MHF Magazine/Adam McCann
