Band:	Graveyard Dirt
Album:	My Scourge, My Plague
Style:	Death doom metal
Release date:	August 17, 2015
A review by:	Marcel Hubregtse

01. A Poisoned Seed
02. Her Haunting Smile
03. The Sirens Refrain

Wow, just like it's been five years since my last review here at Metal Storm it's been already five years since Graveyard Dirt's last album, For Grace Or Damnation, which somehow never got a review here at Metal Storm. I truly didn't realize that until I received the band's latest offering My Scourge, My Plague for reviewing purposes.

So, Graveyard Dirt are still alive and well and thank God for that. Anyone who loves their death doom the old school way with loads of hints of extremely early Anathema would do well to stop reading and immediately buy this e.p. My Scourge, My Plague is a natural continuation of the band's previous For Grace Or Damnation and Shadows Of Old Ghosts releases.

Expect to get well-produced and well-structured death doom with the emphasis on melody spanning three tracks in 27 minutes.
Opener "A Poisoned Seed" kicks off in the typical Graveyard Dirt way with a riff that immediately nestles itself in your head and sounds like a doomed up version of something that Gary Moore could have written. A quintessentially Irish tone to the guitar playing. This Irishness can also be found on the remaining tracks "Her Haunting Smile" and "The Sirens Refrain". Typically Irish, but without veering off into folk music territory. Think in that sense of the Irishness a death doom band such as Mourning Beloveth displays. All three songs build up to a climax and need a little time to grow on the listener. All aspects of the e.p. once again combine what's best about the early years of the Peaceville Three with a some Irishness thrown into the equation. However, some might find Paul Leyden's vocals a tad hard to digest since it comes across as a mix of Darren White and Tom G. Warrior.

If you're looking for innovation in your metal then you can safely ignore My Scourge, My Plague, but if you want your death doom played well and well-composed and for it to stick in your head because of the melodies then look no further. Graveyard Dirt once again delivers a top quality release. Hopefully, the next album will come to us a bit sooner than in five years time.