Rioghan – Blackened Sky

Rioghan
Blackened Sky
Inverse Records
March 10, 2021
14:55

Rioghan is the solo project of Finnish singer Rioghan Darcy. Founded in Lapua (Western Finland) in 2019. The singer has deep roots in both the Gothic and Progressive Metal scenes. In 2010 she started writing poetry and lyrics. But she wanted more. She collaborated with experienced songwriters who wrote music to accompany her lyrics. The result is the EP “Blackened Sky”.

The EP starts calmly and contemplatively with “Hollowness”. Rioghan Darcy shows that she can not only write poetry, but also sing well. Accompanied by piano and strings. And don’t worry, there is no operatic soprano here, but expressive singing in mezzo-soprano. “Enough” was the first song written. It gets a bit rockier, electric guitars and drums dominate. Vocally, I am reminded a little of Dolores O’Riordan. But the singer also masters rougher tones, for which she says she had to practise a lot.  “Wither” is the story of a sadly ending love. The song is correspondingly dark. The vocals, accompanied by strings, are technically alienated in places. The ballad-like tones also dominate in “Corrupt”. Acoustic guitars provide the instrumental background.

Contrary to the announcements in the press release, you don’t hear any metal on “Blackened Sky”. Except for the midtempo rock of “Enough”, the songs are very calm and slow. Almost in the Singer/Songwriter milieu. But I think that is the intention. The EP lives from the expressive voice of Rioghan Darcy, who manages excellently to articulate the contents of her poetry. So, if you want to look beyond Rock and Metal, this EP is highly recommended.

Rioghan – Wither: https://youtu.be/ngWLqd4tEtw

Lineup:

Rioghan Darcy – Vocals

Track list:

• Hollowness
• Enough
• Wither
• Corrupt