How many classic albums have started with the sound of a tolling bell and can you name them? I am sure there are several, mind has gone blank but anyone feeling clever feel free to list them in the comment box. Well this could be another one; time will tell of course but it is the 12th studio album from the Yorkshire’s finest misery guts. I could be picky there and not count Evinta and say it is the eleventh as for me this is really the follow up to 2009 album ‘for Lies I Sire’ but I am sure some would disagree. The group’s legacy since they formed back in 1990 is certainly one that should not be questioned, they have solidified themselves as a British institution and an incredibly dependable one, hardly ever putting a foot wrong or disappointing their fans and no I will not hear anyone moaning about ‘34.788%… Complete’, go wash yer ear oles out!
We could spend a lot of time going on about the group and what they have done but if you are reading this let’s face it you know already and it is the music you are interested in. I will say there has been no line up changes for a while and yes there are violins in case you were wondering. Let’s sound those bells and step on in.
‘Kneel Till Doomsday’ is the first of these eight epic songs of despair described overall by Andrew Craighan as, “A controlled demolition of all your hopes.” The guitar sound is immediately identifiable as is the clean heartfelt poetic voice of Aaron Stainthorpe. As with everything by the band songs can be listened to purely as music or you can go in deeper as every one tells a story, never one with a happy ending. Things pick up from the slow start with splash of violin and we are into a mid paced romp. Harmony is at the forefront and there is never too much going on at once, to me the sound is a bit stripped down but it allows you to focus on every facet of it. The band have had plenty of practice of lulling you into a false sense of security and this is no exception as things suddenly take on a madcap gallop with angry vocals, it is like a storm has suddenly swept in from nowhere. The lament and despair left in its wake is all too evident. Squealing guitar cadences lead into the albums shortest track The Poorest Waltz, somehow even at 5 minutes it does not sound like they are looking for mainstream radio airplay. It’s a ponderous plodding number full of doom and dread but with crisp harmony from a lush guitar solo which goes perfectly with the autumnal sunshine outside my window. The band certainly have picked the perfect time to release this. ‘A Tapestry Scorned’ is one that really stuck out first listen and sends a shiver down the spine. There is an incredibly theatrical sounding spoken word segment around slow drum beats and violin parts, and then an organ comes in making it even more foreboding. It’s a bit like being put into a performance of some classic Edgar Allen Poe story, a ghostly number for long nights for sure.
Oceans, rivers, and setting sail, as per usual there sea is ever present thematically and every time you tune into the lyrical content you will probably pick up a fragment washing over you. This is very much the case with ‘Like A Perpetual Funeral’ it’s a calm and quite relaxed number with a swaying chorus that really draws you into its embrace. It’s one that will go very well live after a particularly boisterous number no doubt. The title track is the one that you will really notice the violin as it is integral to the gorgeous but depressive melody of the song. It’s another slow paced one, in fact the album on the whole is more in that direction. I read that originally it was even more miserable at first and it really is not one to pick up if you are teetering on the brink away of a call to the Samaritans. More salty seasoned sounds, a bow creaks and the spray of the sea takes us into more turbulent waters as we Hail Odysseus. You have probably either read Homer or at least seen a loose film interpretation, it is a classic and so are the notes wrung out here. Aaron gets in a few roars amidst the emotional croons and this takes you through a real tragedy in song form. “And so It was the crew were lost” I told you there were no happy endings here!
Decaying summer fruit is one spoken part on ‘Within The Presence Of Absence.’ The song is another slow and maudlin one and it paints a picture that is very grey as the story unfolds. Again this feels incredibly literary and although cloaked in the very essence of doom it is like a play is being acted out within your ears. Finally we arrive at last number ‘Abandoned As Christ’ all the song titles on this just kind of strike as being such obvious names for the band to use you already practically feel you have known them for some time. The music however is going to take a lot of listens to get to full grips with but the weeping guitar line that introduces this one is instantly unforgettable. It’s another fond topic here from the lyricist and if you are expecting something biblical you will not be disappointed as this builds from jagged guitar lines and stops, there is a pause and an apocalyptic post black groove before the album casually flows toward an end, and so it is done.
There is a lot here as ever to concentrate on, those looking for a brutal album will not really find it here so if that is what you are expecting be warned. This is My Dying Bride at their most fragrant and poetic even if the scent is one covered in mould. Will I buy it, yes of course it is a solid album from the band and in time it may well be looked on as a classic.
(A sensibly restrained 8/10 Pete Woods)
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