Celtachor's name kind of says it all: Celtic mythos and heritage are central contents of their metal. This, the band's sophomore demo, tells the tale of Lugh, a hero and High King of the distant past, who waged for over his evil grand father's kingdom.

Instrumental introduction 'Nemed's Wake' is filled with Celtic atmosphere, and is good at that, but does totally differ from other material on offer. However, some whistles are heard here and there around the demo, even though not during every song. Riffs sound Irish for a big part. This is about simplistic heavy metal riffs and some black metal tinged ones, and no guitar solos. If there's a band that comes to my mind while listening to Celtachor, then it must be Waylander.

Unvarying but suitably raspy throat vocals are everything on the vocals department. The drumming is simplistic. However, there are some annoying sloppiness, especially during faster parts of the music (e.g. 'Riders of the Fomor' speedy bit). Generally, the performance of the band packs some energy. The production isn't bad, but suitably raw. I should also mention, that the booklet with lyrics is a nice effort.

All in all, ' In the Halls of Our Ancient Fathers' is quite enjoyable listening, and hangs somewhere just above average. The main problem with it is its similarity and that it isn't very captivating, memorable. If you want some metal music with Irish ambiance, then Celtachor's effort might well be worth the risk and toiling, but no otherwise.

Reviewed by Lane
10/07/2011 18:01