Is 2011 the
year when the genre giants stir things up? After the Morbid Angel stunt, I
suppose nothing ought to be able to surprise, but still... The doom metal
kings My Dying Bride putting out something like this wasn't quite one I had seen coming.
My Dying Bride never was a band known for standing still and letting the
marketeers brand them entirely. And this certainly cements that notion. Old
themes and tunes have been reworked to the point where they have nothing to do
with the originals. New instrumentation, new lyrics (if any) and new titles. No
crushing guitars of doom, but the violin is back and then there's of course the
wonderful voice of French soprano Lucie Roche.
If all you can hear is metal, then you might as well turn around and walk away
from this right now. You're NOT going to be amused.
If, on the other hand, you like musicians to try out new territory and do things
they feel like doing, and if you're a fan of dark and sombre music in any form
then I'd urge you to read on.
My Dying Bride along with Bal-Sagoth keyboard maestro Johnny Maudling have
created a masterpiece of mood music. Beautiful, haunting and dark, 'Evinty'
calls for recollection and sinking into an armchair with your headphones on.
Think classical music in the Michael Nyman vein, opera, Mike Oldfield without
the guitars, Jean-Michel Jarre when he's at his gloomiest, some of the shrill
moments of Dead Can Dance and Clannad's 'Atlantic Realm' album, you're pretty
much there. This is very, very moody stuff indeed and if it leaves you untouched,
then I'd say you're as dead as a slab of rock.
What a way to celebrate a 20th anniversay! Amazing and beautiful!
