When Irish doomsters Mourning Beloveth released their sixth full-length album, Rust And Bone, at the end of 2015, one track stood out in particular, not only because its lyrical content was open to speculation, but also because musically it was such a departure from the band's usual heavy, doom-laden sound, and death metal inspired vocals.

The track in question was "A Terrible Beauty Is Born", a poignant, and hauntingly beautiful, acoustic interpretation of the famous W. B. Yeats poem. It was a track that also saw vocalist Darren Moore take a back seat and guitarist/backing vocalist Frank Brennan step to the fore to give voice to the song that had been in his mind for a long time.

When the band joined forces with John Mulvaney to create a video for "A Terrible Beauty Is Born", and released it on April 24th this year, which was the date that marked the Centenary of the Easter Uprising, there were more than a few who questioned what Yeats would have thought of his words being interpreted by a metal band, and some who questioned whether the video, and indeed the song itself, was the band's tribute to those who died in the rebellion that was to shape the future of Ireland. This, despite Mourning Beloveth having made it very clear that it was a tribute to all who had fought and died for freedom throughout the world.

Commented the band: "We were at rehearsals one day, talking about the questions that fans kept asking about "A Terrible Beauty Is Born", and it occurred to us that it might be a good idea to informally film ourselves giving our unscripted thoughts about what lies behind the track, the recording process, how such a different sound came about, and what it might lead to in the future. YouTube seems to be the "go to" place for music fans these days, and it looked like it might be a much more interesting way to do it, rather than just writing an explanation. We are grateful to John Mulvaney who kindly gave us a hand turning it into something coherent, and you can see the results, which we have titled A Terrible Interview Is Born…

"We also thought that fans might like to see the original version of the "A Terrible Beauty Is Born " video as well. The version that was released was in black and white, a medium we felt lent the right atmosphere, particularly since some of the footage we used was from the era of pre-colour photography. Having looked at it again, the colour version gives a slightly different perspective, so for those who are interested in comparing the two”….

Formed in 1992 and with six full-length albums and a plethora of compilations and splits under their belts, Mourning Beloveth are based in the market town of Athy, in County Kildare. Aside from Moore and Brennan, the band's lineup includes Pauric Gallagher on guitar, Brendan Roche on bass and Tim Johnson on drums.

Tour dates:

May
7 - Acherontic Arts Festival @ Turbinenhalle - Oberhausen, Germany
8 - Florinsmarkt - Koblenz, Germany

September
11 - Doom Over Sofia @ Club Live & Loud - Sofia, Bulgaria

October
29 - Dutch Doom Days @ Baroeg - Roterdam, Netherlands