Father Murphy sounds like ‘5,000 Viking oars’

Father Murphy

No Room For The… Father Murphy

No Room For The Weak

Label: Aagoo Records

Grade: B

Everyone loves a nice melody, but when was the last time you heard music made up of brute force?

In its press materials, Father Murphy describes the sound of its new EP as “5,000 Viking oars being dipped into the cold sea” and “500 Cherokee drums summoning the spirits of battle.”In a way, these are some apt descriptions.

The EP moves with a densely ethereal sound that seems to build the musical tensions of each track and keeps people listening through various worldly musical motifs.

Some neo-psychedelic bands’ sounds move toward a similar passion for drone and ’60s rock, but none exhibit the sheer metallic anguish that this Italian trio’s tracks exude.

For example, the vocal style is just plain creepy, with dueling male-female vocals making what seems like more of a siren’s scream than a musical movement (think F-Minus slowed down). Similarly, there are a few elements of black metal and the group’s lyrical and thematic ideas move toward many of those sinister themes.

What’s here is interesting, but it will not be everyone’s cup of Earl Grey. People with a passion for post-punk, black metal or neo-psychedelic sounds should seek out Father Murphy.