• Pollution Blues review by Chris MacIntosh aka Grandfather Rock for CelticChristianTunes.com
• Available Light review by Cory C. Engel of CelticChristianTunes.com

Those old enough to remember a NYC-based bar band from the early '70's named JF Murphy & Salt will have a fair idea as to what to expect from "Pollution Blues" the newest release from Long Island based Irish rock band Fathom. Unlike Iona, Moya Brennan or Eden's Bridge, this band does not tend to the more ethereal end of the spectrum musically. What you do get here are electrified rocked out versions of what would have formerly been labeled sea shanties.

Vocalist and primary lyricist John DiBartolo, an old son of the sod if there ever was one, has stated that he is inspired as much by classic literature and mythology as he is by his faith. Thus we are treated to tunes such as "The Great Whale Road" &" Fisher King" as well as "Tir na Nog" & "I Am The One". The band consists of DiBartolo on vocals and guitar, John Farrell on mandolin and fiddle, Gary Tourigny on drums, Mike Clemente laying down the lead guitar licks, Eric W. Roelofsen (he must be from the outer islands) on bass and the newest member of the group, Danny McLaughlin formerly of Manchester on the Irish pipes.

I have seen these guys play in the intimate setting of a radio station studio and they were great; turn them loose in a club setting and they will tear the roof off of the place. Although based in Long Island, NY, the band does tour rather extensively so check out their web site at www.fathom.tv to see when they will come to your town.

--Chris MacIntosh aka Grandfather Rock for CelticChristianTunes.com

"Available Light", Fathom's 7-track (8-song) independent debut release, mixes modern rock with the Celtic influences of mandolin and fiddle. This Long Island Celtic rock band explores a variety of themes through songs that range from a heavy rock sound to the somewhat thicker Celtic sound of the hidden traditional track.

While this recording has a unique sound, I probably won't be the first (or last) critic to compare John DiBartolo's voice to that of U2's Bono. In fact, the electric slide guitar of Fathom's "Run and Hide" along with DiBartolo's vocals are reminiscent of "Bullet the Blue Sky" from U2's Joshua Tree album. The comparison to pop music ends there however; most of the album would probably be appreciated by fans of Wolfstone or Seven Nations, though Fathom's Celtic flavor is far more subtle.

One of my favorite tracks is "Lady Wisdom", which echoes Proverbs:

You sought your home among men
And found no place to rest
Not one single soul has asked you to dance
Oh Lady Wisdom, won't you dance with me?
...
Oh Lady Wisdom, your hands more precious than purest gold
And all the silver hands of men fumble for
Wrought by the hand of God
From the fountain of His heart
Oh Lady Wisdom, formed before the furthest star.

There is little to criticize here. While I enjoyed this album, I suspect that some listeners might need to get used to DiBartolo's thick vibrato. Also, I would have preferred that the hidden track (my favorite song on the CD) be separated into an 8th track; hidden tracks do not rip well into mp3's, and they don't play nice with CD changers set to random play. These are small matters however, in light of the CD's unique instrumentation, creative songwriting and poetic lyrics.

This is good stuff with an original sound. Fathom has described "Available Light" as the culmination of Fathom's first 6 months together. Considering the quality of music produced in the short time they've been together, I'm sure we can look forward to some great tunes to come.