Released By: Napalm Records
Release Date: November 8th, 2024
Genre: Folk/Metal
Links: https://miracleofsound.rocks/en-cad/
Line Up:
Gavin Dunne – Vocals, All Instruments, Songwriting
Tracklist:
1. Valhalla Calling
2. Beneath the Black Flag
3. Skal
4. Road Rage
5. Ode to Fury
6. Between Heaven and Hell
7. Onwards We Sail
8. Wake the White Wolf
9. Take it Back
10. All as One
11. Sirona
12. Valhalla Calling (War Chant Version)
Irish singer/musician/songwriter Gavin Dunne has been releasing music under his solo project, Miracle of Sound for over 14 years now, and he’s released a large amount of albums during that time, so it’s no surprise he’s decided to put together a new greatest hits album, titled Materia (Best of 2011-2024), recently given a physical release by melodic metal/rock label Napalm Records. Dunne has released 14 albums to date under this moniker, including Level 1-12, Vistas and Metal Up, so to say he had a lot of material to choose from, would be a massive understatement. Going into this review, I had very limited experience with Dunne’s music, having only heard one track of his previously (and when I first started reviewing this album, I didn’t even know I had heard any of it, until I recognized a certain track), so this was my first full experience with his music, and it left me quite impressed!
As expected from a greatest hits album, there’s a wide amount of variety to the tracks, though for the most part I’d say it can be neatly broken down into two song styles: Full on folk tracks with little to no rock or metal elements, and then the rest of the tracks are more metal based, with occasional folk elements. I tagged the album as “Folk/Metal”, and not “Folk Metal”, because I feel while the folk elements are more prominent than anything else, I wouldn’t necessarily call the heavier tracks folk metal, as they each sound quite different, and while some do have folk elements, others largely fall into other genres, so I felt a broader label was best suited.
From what I understand, Dunne’s musical background lies in folk music and bluegrass, so it’s no surprise he places such a large focus on folk infused tracks, and obviously he pulls those off extremely well, considering he picked so many of them for this album. The folk tracks all have a nice mix of folk instrumentation, mixed with very steady percussion, which helps give the tracks a sort of marching beat, as well as some light symphonic elements and guitar work. All of these tracks are very well done, and represent some of his best material. On the heavier side of things, the metal tracks are more varied, with some having folk instrumentation, while others are more heavily reliant on guitars or electronic keys, as well as some symphonic elements. There’s some power metal, some alternative metal, some prog, maybe a bit of metalcore, black metal on one track, symphonic and folk metal. Yep, there’s quite a bit of stuff going on within those tracks, but they’re all pulled off very well, and while his pure folk tracks are generally some of his best in terms of songwriting, a couple metal tracks in particular stand out as my favorites on this set, so he’s no slouch when it comes to writing heavier material, either. The guitar work in particular is very good, often quite heavy and a bit chunky at times, but there’s also some excellent melodic guitar work and some great solos. I believe drums are programmed, though I could be wrong about that, but regardless they sound pretty good, and production is very good all around.
One thing that’s clear regardless of what style of music Dunne writes, is that his songwriting and vocals are both excellent. He has a deep voice, which is especially effective when he sings more softly on the folk tracks, but he can get quite intense and aggressive on the metal tracks, occasionally throwing in some extreme vocals and screams, and he pulls everything off very well. In terms of songwriting, one thing he excels at is writing choruses. Every track on this set has a fantastic chorus, with most of them being fun and catchy, while some of them have an epic feel to them, and there’s some fantastic vocal melodies on just about all of them, with the folk tracks especially excelling in that area. Looking at song and album titles, it’s no surprise to learn that a good amount of Dunne’s tracks are based on videogames, with this set containing tracks based on the likes of Assassin’s Creed, Mass Effect and Diablo IV, among others. There’s also tracks about vikings and pirates, as well as a celtic metal anthem, so there’s certainly a good amount of variety here.
Since this is a greatest hits album, I won’t go into full detail on every track, though I will discuss some of my favorites, as well as give a general idea of what to expect from the rest. As I’m primarily a metal reviewer, I’ll give special focus to the heavier material. Starting with the folk side of things, opening track “Valhalla Calling” is apparently Dunne’s biggest hit, and it’s no surprise, as it’s a fantastic track. Dunne usies percusion to give the track what feels like a marching beat, and it provides a nice rhythm, while folk and symphonic elements are used nicely, with some light guitar work added in later on, and everything sounds fantastic, with the chorus in particular being a highlight, along with some nice chanting vocals used throughout.
Also on the folk side, “Skul” is an epic viking themed track, with the percussion having an even stronger effect here, while the track overall is a bit more intense than the opener, and it has a stronger guitar presence, as well as a very nice sounding violin at points. The chorus has a very smooth flow to it, with both lead and backing vocals being fantastic, and it’s one that has been stuck in my head all throughout the reviewing process. Other folk tracks include “Ode to Fury”, a soft, relaxing track based on God of War”, the epic and addicting sea themed anthem “Onwards We Row”, and the light, acoustic guitar driven “Wake the White Wolf”, based on The Witcher III: Wild Hunt.
Moving onto the heavier side of things, fans of the pirate themed Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, are sure to enjoy “Bneath the Black Flag”, a short but sweet folk infused track, which sounds a bit like Alestorm at points, with how the folk elements are implemented into an upbeat metal track, though the guitars sound more melodic, and the vocals have a more authentic folk sound, which helps add to the overall atmosphere of the track.It’s not one of my favorites here, but it’s a very fun and catchy track. Two tracks later, “Road Rage” has more of an alt metal sound, with perhaps a bit of metalcore mixed in. It’s a fast-paced, high energy track with some pretty chunky guitar work at points, mixed with some upbeat electronic keys and more percussion. The verses are very quick and heavy, with Dunne using some sort of screaming vocals, while the chorus is more melodic and has a slight folk feel to it, while still being much more aggressive than most other tracks on this set.
My favorite track on this set is the Diablo IV themed progressive/symphonic power metal epic “Between Heaven and Hell”, which certainly has a lot going on, but it’s all pulled off in stunning and spectacular fashion. It starts off with some light guitar work, before heavy guitars kick in and it quickly picks up, with intense vocals and blistering fast drums, before briefly transitioning into a black metal section where the drums really go wild, the guitar work is heavy, a quick scream is used and the music has a strong atmosphere to it. The opening verse is softer, with light vocals and more of a folk feel, while the chorus turns into epic symphonic metal, mixing heavy guitars with epic symphonic arrangements and huge vocal melodies. It starts off slow and melodic, but speeds up and becomes more intense as it goes on. From there, the track goes into symphonic power metal territory for a bit, and that’s my favorite section of not only the track, but likely the entire album. Black metal portions are mixed in again later on and from there the track alternates between different sounds, with a really nice cleanly sung vocal section coming towards the end. It’s a fantastic track overall, managing to fluidly mix many different styles together, and this description honestly isn’t even close to doing it justice, it’s just that good!
I mentioned that I recognized one track on this set. That would be the Mass Effect 3 themed “Take it Back”, a fun, catchy and upbeat track, which fluidly mixes electronic keys and heavy guitar work, for a fast-paced, heavy track, which largely falls into alt metal territory. The opening verse starts off softly, with light guitar work, but it gets heavier and speeds up as it goes along, with the chorus fully speeding up and having some fantastic vocal melodies, and epic lyrics. Sadly, the track brings back bitter memories of the game it’s based on, but the track itself is excellent, and one of my favorites on the set. Following that track, “All is One” stays in fairly familiar territory, starting off softly, with light guitar work and soft vocals for a section which lasts a while, leading into a soft, slow opening rendition of the chorus, which is one of the highlights of the track. Following that, the guitars suddenly become much heavier and once again fall into alt metal territory, with a nice groove . The track is slightly heavier and more upbeat the rest of the way through, with the heavier version of the chorus in particular being fantastic, and there’s also an excellent guitar solo towards the end.
Falling somewhere in between the two main styles, “Sirona” is an epic celtic metal track, which nicely mixes together soft folk infused passages, and heavier, more metal based passages. It starts off slow, once again using a mix of light guitar work, folk instrumentation and percussion, and these softer passages have a very nice rhythm. The guitars get heavier as the track goes on, and after a while there’s a bit of a light doom metal feel to the instrumental work. The chorus is very nice, and the instrumental work is great throughout, but the highlight comes towards the end, when things suddenly become much more intense, and the drums and guitars start going crazy, making for an epic conclusion. Closing out the album is an alternate version of “Valhalla Calling”, which starts off largely sounding the same, except with more intense vocals, but after a while there’s an infusion of heavy guitars and drums, and from there the track becomes intense and quite epic. I love both versions, but being a metalhead, it’s no surprise I slightly prefer this version.
Obviously, Materia is intended for existing fans of Miracle of Sound, since it’s a greatest hits album, and it’s also being hyped up as the project’s first ever physical release, so fans are sure to be excited about that. However, as (mostly) a newcomer to Gavin Dunne’s music, this release has left me impressed with his fluid mix of folk and metal tracks, so much so that I ended up checking out his most recent album, Level 12 in the middle of the reviewing process, and enjoyed that one enough that I’ll likely end up checking out more of his work in the future. Regardless of your knowledge of Gavin Dunne’s music, this is an excellent release, and getting to hear so many great tracks compiled together in one set is sure to be an absolute treat for longtime fans, as well as a nice starting point for newcomers, like myself.
Ratings: 9/10
Written by: Travis Green
My Global Mind – Staff Writer
Travis Green is a Canadian based writer for My Global Mind, with a particular passion for power metal, as well as an interest metal in all its forms.
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