#Dratna Fomóraigh

Band: Dratna
Title: Fomóraigh
Label: Fiadh Productions
Release date: 26 May 2023
Country: United Kingdom
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording

This album… woah, I found it casually amongst the promos received by the zine, never listened about Dratna (sorry!), and what to say… I’ve listened to this album a lot more times of the average I use to do to write a review, just for the pleasure of listening again and again, ‘cause is damn good!

“Fomóraigh” starts softly with “Indech the Treacherous”, and I feel as if was in a small isolated beach and the day was waking up: lazy waves soaking the shore, a mysterious mist slowly fading away, the growing light of day making the silhouettes of near trees more visible, a small boat arriving to the shore… And when the first ray of sun is doing its appearance in the horizon, that’s the exact moment when the song explodes: drums and guitars end with all the calm and bring heaviness to your sleepy ears. Can you feel the power and the call of the wild? The raspiness in vocals are the perfect complement to that violent outburst. I love it!

Well, say goodbye to the soothing views of that calm first impression, ‘cause then arrives “Summon the Morrigan” in order to continue with the sonic destruction. This is like a fast and furious anthem, and I’m not ashamed to say that THIS is one of the most beautiful forms of aggression for me: raw sound with guitars constantly riffing and drums playing fast and knocking you down. And vocally, it’s perfect: harsh screams spitting hate and fury equally. There’s a pause near the two final minutes in the song, when acoustic instruments allow you to breathe, but it’s like a way to regain enough energy for the last 30 seconds, when there’s the final explosion. Wow… such an epic ride!

The following “Riders of the Sidhe” continues with the great Black Metal atmosphere, guitar riffs buzzing in your ears from the first second and drums exploding violently along with that harsh voice that’s driving me insane. And… there’s a banjo doing some work in this song too, well we already know that banjo can be so damn Black Metal! Oh I forgot to tell you: there’s only one person doing everything (!!!), and that’s the really insane thing about Dratna: Andrew Mckenna is the man behind all the music, lyrics, vocals… My neurons exploded when I knew this.

“Echoes of Mourne” is the oasis you need to recover yourself; an acoustic intro and the piano entering after a while, and the tempo keeps being quite calm even with the addition of drums and humming guitars. In this theme you can’t deny the Irish musical influence, there’s some ethereal atmosphere surrounding you like that mist I talked about in the beginning. Delicate despite the harshness of the sound, if you understand what I mean… Just listen to this song and tell me!

When “Fomóraigh Reign” starts, I feel immersed in a mysterious atmosphere, all the song vibes are in this direction. The sound is raw, this is a dynamic song and tremolo guitar playing fills almost everything. “Ships from the Nordland” is a beautiful 8 minute track that takes you through an emotional journey: the acoustic instruments bring the folk-ish touch while guitars, drums and harsh vocals are in charge of crushing your senses. The short instrumental piece “Goiltaie from the Harp of the Dagda” is delightful, that harp brings really beautiful tunes…

And, the closing “Moytura Conquest” has so many details, starting with these (ethereal) flutes, the piano/keys playing some melodies and introducing you to the heaviest part of this final track; the banjo (I love this instrument making his appearance again), the fast drums with the double bass pedal attack, and maybe even a violin (?)… damn, my not-so-trained ears! And the final passage, with the sound of the harp going along with the waves… it’s just like closing a circle, the trip is over, time to land again. It’s been a great journey. 9/10 Sílvia

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9/10 Epic Storm
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