By Jonny Bakes
MCC, or Magna Carta Cartel, are the band that you’ve most likely never heard of, yet will likely feel like you’ve been listening to them for years. That’s because, in a way, you might very well have been as the band’s creative driving force served his time with one of the most successful (yet controversial among metalheads) alternative bands of our time… Ghost. Before joining Ghost, Martin Persner’s first love was MCC and remained close to his heart throughout his time with the band, but as Ghost accelerated through their meteoric rise, he made the decision to put MCC on ice. That didn’t stop him writing MCC songs though, and now that he’s free of the papal shackles of Papa Emeritus, we are finally able to hear the fruits of his labour in the form of the first full album in 13 years (and only second full-length release) – ‘The Dying Option’
Eerie is also a pretty effective way to describe the breathy vocals that slip to the forefront of a distinctly gothic sound, that appears to be influenced by Type O Negative in its structure and general feel. Yet the guitar work, should you isolate it, could perhaps find a home in country blues music which combines with the ethereal synth work to provide a fresher take on the goth sound. However, as one of the creative forces in Ghost, there is always a lingering similarity which is great if you like Ghost and are looking for something that is similar to the original sound, but it does mean that MCC will be looking to break out of Papa’s shadow. It could just be that ‘The Dying Option’ will begin to do just that…
The album has a rather gentle beginning with a soft melodic guitar introduction that leads into the opening track, ‘Arrows’. Soon you’re met with an increase in volume where instruments gradually layer up to build into this massive opener, first the guitar, then the bass, before the drums and organ kicks in to deliver the full package. The vocals are breathy and haunting, in a similar way to the early Ghost style, and seem to take a bit of a back seat in this song, with the rest of the instruments taking priority. Rocking a classic 16 beat, ‘Arrows’ immediately gets under your skin and seems to draw in influence from a number of places, at times I’m reminded of Pink Floyd, and others Placebo, but the core is still this combination of upbeat rhythm and slow vocal passages that collide together like waves against the rocks.
One track that really stood out for me though, is ‘Sleepy Eye June’. This starts off with a bluesy/country feel with the combination of a simple acoustic guitar riff overlaid with bold electric guitar. The drums are far simpler too, with very little other than a bass kick to maintain the tempo for the early part of the song before developing into nothing more complex than a simple 8 beat rhythm. It carries some chilled out vibes, but without losing any of the edge that the rest of the album has. Above all, though, ‘Sleepy Eye June’ is catchy as hell, and is one that I find myself coming back to regularly!
Overall, ‘The Dying Option’ strikes a chord with me and could easily be an album that I come back to again and again (hell, I’m already looking into whether I can pick up a physical copy for the collection!) If you like Ghost but feel that they’ve drifted away from the sound that you like, then it could be that MCC is where you need to look for your fix. It’s steeped in traditional goth and will please anyone who still finds themselves rocking Type O Negative and the like. But most importantly, it’s very well put together and could appeal to a wide range of fans, whether you’ve got history with the band or not! It’s definitely worth keeping an eye on MCC as if they can continue dishing out musical goodness like ‘The Dying Option’ then they should see themselves being strong contenders for the limelight!
- ‘The Dying Option’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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