Rating: 9/10
Release: 31 October 2024
Label: Independent

Mythbegotten is an American power metal trio and “Tales from the Unseelie Court” is their first full-length album. Like the album’s title, a nod to the Forgotten Realms, the album is chock-full of nerdy references. The whole album is pandering to a specific demographic, and I’m squarely in the middle of it, so I loved the hell out of it.

Their sound is power metal: there are big lead guitar arpeggios and clean lyrics. Almost all of the songs are ballads telling a story. I was excited to see “Twa Corbies” (a traditional Scottish ballad that I grew up with) is on the track listing. Only three folks are officially listed as members of the band, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear guest vocalists add some gruff and operatic vocals to break up the songs.

The album starts off on some shaky ground. There’s a bouncy, synthy intro, but the “Heedless Horseman” has a melody we’ve heard before. It sounds good, though, so I’m onboard. “Omen of Embers” is the stronger track: it shows off the singer’s range and has some more power to it. “Mallt-y-Nos” is about a Welsh crone, has guest vocals, some amazing production, and an ending that you have to check out. “The Fall” is similarly powerful with a slow-burn start and magic happening in the second half. I had both “Mallt-y-Nos” and “The Fall” noted to be the top track.

I should pause and point out that the album doesn’t have perfect marks. “Beneath the Exham Priory”, a Lovecraftian song, came across as cheesy and kind of a chore to listen to, despite some strong moments. Likewise, the “Terror of Lothan”, another Scottish tale, also fell a bit short. They’re not bad, and one could argue they’re tremendous for a debut album,

The stars of the album, though: “Twa Corbies” is a lovely and faithful rendition of the Scottish tale with some added campfire sounds and ambience. If you like folk music, check out other renditions (I’d strongly recommend The Old Blind Dogs’ version) and then try Mythbegotten’s again. It holds up. Lastly, I’m a huge fan of Fogalord and their first album ending with “Of War and Resurrection”, a huge fifteen minute opus with all kinds of talent poured in, and this album does the same with the Lord of the Rings themed “Of Wrath and Ruin”, a great culmination of all the magic of the album distilled into a single track. I wouldn’t recommend it as an introduction to the band, but it’s a very satisfying conclusion to the album.

Tracklist

1. The Heedless Horseman 06:11
2. Omen of Embers 07:02
3. Mallt-y-Nos 07:01
4. Beneath Exham Priory 07:17
5. The Fall 05:17
6. The Terror of Lothian 06:52
7. Twa Corbies 03:40
8. Of Wrath and Ruin 13:58