M-Opus: At The Mercy Of Manannan

The very idea behind what M-Opus are all about is almost worthy of a review in itself, but with their third album of progressive rock to shine a light on, I’ll try to keep it brief. The band debuted back in 2015 with 1975 Triptych, an album that not only planted its roots firmly in the decade named in its title, but one which went out of its way to sound like it was written and recorded in 1975. The follow up, 2020’s Origins - if you look at the CD spine - references 1978, and while in terms of lyrical approach the two couldn’t be much more different (the latter is almost a sci-fi radio-play thriller set to music) it was clear that M-Opus were now moving their musical focus forward 5 years with splendid results. With album number three, At The Mercy Of Manannan, the CD spine this time says 1972, and with that you know exactly what to expect, yes, music directly influenced not by a decade or genre, but by the very year named.

Conceptually things move even further back into time, following a crew of mariners who set sail on a hazardous mission and encounter ancient Celtic gods on their journey. It also finds the band expanding their number, guitarist PJ O’Connell added to singer, song-writer, bassist and keyboard player (and member of David Cross’s band) Jonathan Casey, guitarist Colin Sullivan and drummer Mark Grist, and musically, as with the very ethos used to approach every album, so too is the sound from M-Opus somewhat different here. Not to the extent that you don’t know who they are compared to their previous works, but different enough that you might miss that fact if you didn’t know it…

It’s a very Bowie like “Setting Off� that opens proceedings, a beautifully poised lament using layers of voice to really evoke the sense that the characters within the story are leaving their known lives behind. Suddenly from there a surge of keys, guitars and bass throw a progressive slide of ELP-esque proportions at you before quickly settling into a scene Yes might create for their listeners. By this stage we are at “Riverflow�, where the string infused backing and melodic swirl creates, to me, the album’s undoubted highpoint. Short in comparison to their previous release, an expertly crafted double CD sprawl, this album lands around the 40 minute mark and therefore songs come and go at a much faster pace. King Crimson come to mind through “Whirlpool� and its jagged surge, while “To The Other Side� feels much less technical or instrument led. The Gaeilge language “Na Bruidai� leans back into territory that Yes used to call their own with such confidence, whereas, to me the more heartfelt “Valley Of Elah� is more like a 60s throwback, flowers in your hair and the feeling of love in the air.

That leaves the chiming guitars and poised melodies of “Scaling Novas� and the strangely menagerie evoking “Carnivale� to round out what is an interesting, involving and intricate listen. On a personal level I don’t find the results to be quite as captivating as those M-Opus have crafted before, but truth be told that’s maybe to do with me having less affinity for the particular year being focussed on here. That’s not to say that At The Mercy Of Manannan isn’t wonderfully constructed and magnificently performed - it is - more that it doesn’t quite pull at my own personal retro heartstrings in the way the band’s previous output most certainly does. Lovers of vintage prog and rock should still definitely be adding this to their list of must hear albums.

Track Listing
1. Setting Off
2. Riverflow
3. Whirlpool
4. To The Other Side
5. Na Bruidai
6. Valley Of The Elah
7. Scaling Novas
8. Carnivale

Added: March 31st 2023
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: M-Opus online
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Language: english

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