My Dying Bride – A Mortal Binding

Written by on 08-08-2024 at 23:58.

Andrew Craighan and Aaron Stainthorpe are the only two gentlemen you could classify as remaining members of the doom metal band My Dyging Bride. Now 34 years after their conception, the gentlemen and lady have released album number fifteen: A Mortal Binding. To be honest, I followed this band in their early phase and saw it live several times, but their most recent work – and I mean work after 2012 – is no longer significantly etched in my memory. On the other hand, a song like The Cry Of Mankind or A Kiss To Remember from the fantastic albums The Angel And The Dark River (1995) and Like Gods Of The Sun (1996) respectively have left a particularly sensitive scar on my soul. The hairs on my forearms still stand up at the first notes and sounds of these songs.

Four years after The Ghost Of Orion, also released via Nuclear Blast Records, now comes A Mortal Binding. I then ask myself the question: am I going to hear the old My Dying Bride or are there aspects, elements or perhaps small details that are different compared to the old but very much appreciated work of this band which, in my opinion, still has a cult status.

Get out your handkerchief, let your tears flow freely, let your snot drip a little too, because these Brits once again manage to release seven songs full of sadness, gloom and melancholy. In its own unique style, the band drones and drags (as if it were a delight) through the first sounds of Her Dominion. It does strike me that after years of gurgling, Mr Stainthorpe’s voice has lost some depth. But not sharpness, let alone nastiness. The guitar feedback duels, as so often happens, with the knotting bass and the tightly played drum themes. It may be taken for granted that the violin parts give the whole an extra sad connotation.

Despite the typical swaying and rocking My Dying Bride dynamics, the opening song cannot quite grab me by the throat. The beginning of Thornwyck Hymn, on the other hand, is a different story. In this song we are again confronted with the clean voice of Mr Stainthorpe. This seems to melt between the rolling drum parts and the howling guitar sounds. But most impressive are the deeply sad violin and guitar lines that, compared to previous work, are capable of raising the hairs on my forearms. Impressive. The 2nd Of Three Bells, a song that was already released as a single, also has those impressive dynamics when it comes to playing and singing.

The Apocalyptist culminates all of the above and everything we have come to expect from the band in recent years in one song. The vocals seem to torment you, the violins seem to stab you while the biting drum and bass foundations drag and pull you from one direction to another. Lovely are those lingering melodic twin leads, the gentlemen have a patent on that. And what should you do when the heart is starving? Definitely give a little more love, right? Ask the lady and gentlemen of this band and you will find out.

What a vale of tears this latest album A Mortal Binding by the doom metal sensation par excellence, My Dying Bride, is. A little less than an hour of crying and sniffling, it makes me happy. With this album, the British once again show it is lonely at the top.

Score:

85/100

Label:

Nuclear Blast Records, 2024

Tracklisting:

  1. Her Dominion
  2. Thornwyck Hymn
  3. The 2nd Of Three Bells
  4. Unthroned Creed
  5. The Apocalyptist
  6. A Starving Heart
  7. Crushed Embers

Line-up:

  • Andrew Craighan – Guitar
  • Aaron Stainthorpe – Vocals
  • Lena Abé – Bass guitar
  • Dan Mullins – Drums
  • Shaun McGowan – Violin, keyboard
  • Neil Blanchett – Guitar

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