MAEL MÓRDHA has got to be one of my favorites Doom Metal bands, formed in 1998 in the beautiful land of Éire, they play what some people call Gaelic Doom Metal that is doom with lyrics pertaining to the rich culture of the people of Ireland.

With MAEL MÓRDHA's records you are treated with not only awesome metal but also with great Irish tales. "Damned When Dead", their fourth full-length album, not being any different, its main concept tells us about the Norman invasion of Ireland of 1169-71 made possible by the papal bull known as Laudabiliter, that gave Henry II permission to invade and dominate the "barbarous nation of Ireland so that its filthy practices may be abolished, its Church brought into line, and that the Irish pay their tax to Rome", but the central character of this tale is the king of Leinster, Diarmait Mac Murchada, that was responsible for bringing the English army into Ireland in the first place.

The material here is all classic MAEL MÓRDHA with sorrowful passages mixed with crunching riffs, the best song by far has got to be the title track, it starts mournfully as it depicts Diarmait Mac Murchada in his grave but it grows steadily aggressive and furious as the soil of Ireland rejects his corpse culminating with the appearance of the god Manannán mac Lir that in a deep and growling voice declares him to be "putrid when living, damned when dead".

One of the best releases of the year and also one of their best albums, "Damned When Dead" solidifies MAEL MÓRDHA as an ever growing entity in the Doom Metal circle.