Mournful Congregation
Mournful Congregation is a funeral doom metal band from Adelaide, South Australia, which was founded in 1993, and has included members of Chalice, Cauldron Black Ram and Esoteric. History. Beginnings (1993–2009). In the 1990s they released several demos; the last of these re-released as an LP in 2002. All of these are included with the single "The Epitome of Gods and Men Alike" on the double CD "The Dawning of Mournful Hymns". This was followed by the release of another 7" titled "A Slow March to the Burial". 2005 saw the release of "The Monad of Creation , although most of the material is much older, with some dating back to 1994. In 2009, the band performed live for the first time in their fifteen-year existence. They played four Australian shows, followed up by a further 17 shows throughout Europe to promote their album The June Frost", released that year. Compilations and "The Book of Kings" (2011–2018). The group issued a compilation album, "The Unspoken Hymns", in September 2011. Mathias Bloodaxe of "VoltageMedia" felt it has "some of Mournful Congregation's best work... it is aimed at introducing one of Australia's best bands onto American audiences . The compilation features songs [and versions of songs] only previously available on long sold out limited vinyl splits, and being someone who generally loathes best of compilations, I find this a very worthy release." Their fourth studio album, "The Book of Kings", followed in November 2011 via Obsidian Records. MichaelO'Brien of "The Metal Forge" rated the album at 9.5 out-of ten he explained that they had "A mature and damn near flawless album... [and] reaffirmed their place within the upper tier of the doom genre with what is easily their best and most mature work to date." They undertook  a tour of the United States west coast. Mournful Congregation's fifth album "The Incubus of Karma" was released on 23 March 2018.