Rating: 9/10
Release: 1 March 2018
Label: Independent / Bandcamp

Irish Moutarde hail from Quebec and continue the tradition of high quality music from Canada. I’ve been enjoying this album for quite a while now and my review is long overdue. Life has been intruding on my free time lately but it’s high time I got to work and reviewed this great album. “Perdition “is a fine album full of attitude and panache. The songs are pretty evenly split with half sung in English and half in French. The album opens with the excellent “Prelude en La (lala) “, a track full of energy and harmony that features a great breakdown with a classic banjo riff. Those la las will stick in your head for a long time. The band also features a full time bagpiper something special that really adds to the overall excitement of the band.” The Poison Trail” is probably my favorite song on the album. The song just kicks me in the ass and makes me dance. I love this song.” Terre Rouge” continues the party with bagpipes and banjo in full display fronting the furious punk guitars and driving drum beat. “Jarrets” kicks ass with some nice use of the accordion.” Eat, Drink and Be Merry”, is a fun tune that showcases the male and female vocals. This band uses a variety of vocal styles throughout the album and does a very nice job of making the songs special.”N’oublions pas” is a really nice song that provides a quiet break after so many furious songs and again the vocals are outstanding, a trend that continues through the next track,” A la sante de Lucifer”. “Only in Your Lies” is a good song that features a ripping guitar solo that would not be out of place on a Triumph album. It is really complemented by the addition of banjo right at the end. Sweet.. I am really impressed by the arrangements throughout “Perdition” they are very well done and showcase the individual performances as well as the band as a whole. “Bientot” again features that guitar…wow that guitar can I have some more please. The song is just great along with “Old Days” another great slower song with clear vocals and nice harmonies. I can’t say enough about the vocals on this album. The lyrics are clear in both languages and there is a nice mix of male and female voices that are perfectly done. The album continues with “Go Away”, Condamnes” and the excellent “The Bitter End” featuring …you guessed it, more great guitar. It’s the perfect track to leave you wanting to hit repeat. “Perdition” is an album that requires repeated listens to hear all of the nice little surprises. It continues to impress me with each new spin. I’m still hearing something new after two months of listening. An album that should definitely be in your collection if you enjoy Celtic rock.

Tracklist

1. Prélude en La (lala) 02:59
2. The Poison Trail 02:49
3. Terre rouge 03:12
4. Jarrets 03:13
5. Eat, Drink and Be Merry 03:04
6. N’oublions pas 03:34
7. À la santé de Lucifer 02:27
8. Only in your Lies 04:37
9. Bientôt 02:45
10. Old Days 03:38
11. Go Away 02:52
12. Condamnés 03:57
13. The Bitter End 02:59