Mournful Congregation - The Unspoken Hymns Review
by Matt Hensch
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Feelings of isolation and sadness have become customary thanks to the depressing work of Australias funeral doom mongers Mournful Congregation. These Aussie doomsters have made a significant ripple on the doom scene whether you've experienced the group's melancholic assault or not, and their budding throughout the doom world led to the release of many split discs between their handful of full-length albums. If your sadness tank has been running low for quite some time, fear not, for "The Unspoken Hymns" gives fans and the universally depressed alike a chance to experience the loathsome shearing of emotions that occur within Mournful Congregation's various split contributions, so grab a warm blanket, crawl in the fetal position, and prepare for a relentless barrage of charred, scathing pessimism.Mournful Congregation does the funeral doom theme quite to a tee, with low, guttural vocals accommodating the sledgehammer of bruising guitar nodes and a supreme punch of super brutality under the methodical beating. So, the first track is a new version of "Left Unspoken" followed by another three anthems that were previously split-exclusive. Musically, there are not many alterations, but Mournful Congregation manages to entertain with their interesting attack. And as a little treat for diehard fans or avid collectors, the band offers a cover of Finnish funeral doom/death metal godfathers Thergothon's "Elemental," a big bite of crushing doom most hardcore doomsters will certainly enjoy. So yea, The Unspoken Hymns sounds nice and delivers a grievous exploitation of funeral doom metal from one of the sub-genres cryptic leaders. This is pretty much an essential purchase if you enjoy this faction and their musical sorrow, but have not yet experienced Mournful Congregation's contributions to the handful of splits scattered throughout the band's career, which is, obviously, the focal point of the release. Overall "The Unspoken Hymns" makes for a good listen and it's a great way to experience some extra Mournful Congregation cuts without purchasing splits that might be hard to find or generally not worth the extra cash.
Mournful Congregation - The Unspoken Hymns Rating:7.0
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