Talk about borne from all manner of hardships. It’s no surprise and well-documented why we have not heard the studio misery of My Dying Bride for 5 years. Firstly, every parent’s worse nightmare struck vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe when his 5-year-old daughter was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully she is clear now but during this time returning guitarist Calvin Robertshaw decided to resign from the band via text and just before entering the studio drummer Shaun Taylor-Steels quit too. Founding member Andrew Craighan who had laid down the music must have been tearing his hair out by now and Stainthorpe was struggling with lyrical output and that is no surprise all things considered. In steps Kill II This and ex Paradise Lost drummer Jeff Singer and Valafar’s Neil Blanchett on guitars and The Ghost Of Orion the (unlucky) 13th album that could never have been is finally under the Halifax doomsters belts.

I have to say that it is a bit of an odd one too and has taken a fair few plays to really sink in. For a start, although maybe not lyrically but musically the album is surprising light and airy. It offers up a few surprises along the way and some may not actually think of them as the best, although perhaps under the circumstances they make some sort of sense. We start the doom of ‘Your Broken Shore’ and its instantly identifiable guitar lines weeping sorrowfully away. Shaun Macgowan’s violin joins in and of course there’s the thick bass tones of Lena Abé. Stainthorpe has never sounded quite so clean and harmonic with his vocals which are utilised at centre stage over a pattering drum beat. Deathly growls are summoned from the depths and I should state that they only appear subtly on a few of the albums tracks which could take some fans aback a little. It is classic sounding though, make no mistake and has that air of pastoral grace about it which will have you falling in love with the song once it sinks in. The melody is one that sticks but it is even more heart-stirring and memorable on second number ‘To Outlive The Gods.’ This quickly became a favourite with me and I doubt I will be alone. Sure, no growls, its slow and even gently luxurious like much of the album, the beatific vocal stance really beginning to fit in. What resembles the chorus though is so painstakingly gorgeous it will easily bring a grown man or woman to their knees. Full of romanticism and longing its incredibly powerful and profoundly gorgeous. No doubt circumstances led to the near autobiographical lyrics of ‘Tired Of Tears’ but it is a song that really seems to have acceptance at its heart rather than any anger as it gently sways and delivers the words “I am so tired of tears So tired of tears Lay not thy hand upon Lay no hand on my daughter” Along with the lilting harmony the deeply personal song seems one that is completely necessary and can’t have been at all easy to exorcise in the studio and as for live well that remains to be seen. In fact, there are only a couple of tracks on the album that I would really expect being represented in the stage show.

Then things go a little odd. I appreciate that Wardruna singer Lindy-Fay Hella is at her peek and a very popular singer to have as a guest but a fairly long song ‘The Solace’ featuring her dulcet tones and accompanying guitar seems somewhat out of place. Nothing to fault it particularly but one has to wonder why she was handed the reigns and why perhaps it was done without the involvement of Stainthorpe as a duet would surely have been all the more interesting? Still, it’s a case of who are we to question but surely some will? Classicism at times takes back in time and not just to the modern era along with the quintessential Britishness of MDB there are times that make me consider them the Vaughan Williams of today’s music. The orchestrations of a song like ‘The Long Black Land’ has a gaze that goes far back. It does meander a bit with long instrumental part allowing some bouncing slow drum rolls and very faint backing choral vocals and it’s a song to lose oneself in and dream along to. The title track is a short (by this bands standards) instrumental. Again, it somewhat breaks up the flow especially after the abrupt down tools of its predecessor. It’s very dour and brings to mind a haunted ‘Gloomy Sunday,’ a languorous fever dream of a track. Longest number ‘The Old Earth’ starts in much the same gentle fashion but then delivers what we realise most of the album has been lacking in, the drama and the storm clouds. The grizzly vocals are back and there is some indignation at last as well as when things develop the ‘wounded swan’ guitar sweeps as we are finally brought “down on our knees.” It would be a fitting climax but we have an outro of such, a choral instrumental ‘Your Woven Shore’ again reminding of the great composers of old.

So, what to make of it all? Well this is something only you can really answer on having given this time to fully gestate. It’s certainly not what you would call a particularly normal album and far from a box ticking exercise from the band. They have been forced out their comfort zone by circumstances and whether this is considered a classic in years to come remains to be seen. There is obviously genius at work here as always but there are also moments that seem out of place and at times not everything ties together. I know I will be buying this and revisiting it a lot but for now the mark has to be circumspect. As far as the future is concerned let’s just hope My Dying Bride are given some respite from the cruellest caress of life.

(8/10 Pete Woods)

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