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 Post subject: 'My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River (#8776)'
PostPosted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 8:33 pm 
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MetalReviews Staff
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You're welcome to comment on:
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My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River
Doom Metal
Quoted: CLASSIC


Click here to see the review.


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 Post subject: Re: My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River (#8776)
PostPosted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 8:35 pm 
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Ist Krieg

Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:07 am
Posts: 6498
Location: USoA
Thanks for this Zad! Crazy that an album this good is probably only my 4th favorite from MDB (I think Dreadful Hours, Turn Loose, and Songs of Darkness all barely beat it out...Barghest if you count that too), but that speaks to the consistency of such a remarkable band with multiple peaks. I realize some people never get past the band's awful name, but if they did, and avoided the weaker albums to start (Like Gods and 34.78% Complete come to mind) they would find a discography overflowing with riches.

This album basically flawless from start to finish, my only complaint is that I think the outro of Cry of Mankind could have been a couple minutes shorter. Cry of Mankind itself is iconic: what better way to announce their temporary abandonment of death metal with a track even more crushing than any death metal they had done before? Black Voyage sounds like its title in the middle of the song, again showing their ability experiment while staying within the genre. And the acoustic sound of Two Winters Only shows a band that I really do think could have broken into the mainstream somewhat, at least if their songs were half as long. Despite this album being one of their softer recordings, the guitar sound has this crunchy excellence which greatly mitigates that potential flaw, so I think production deserves some credit too. Stainthorpe's clean vocals are certainly an acquired taste, and this being the first album to rely on them no doubt caused some controversy when released, but I think this album has aged very well, and in the 13 years since I've been a fan of this band I'd say his vocals have aged well too.

A few tracks for anyone who might be curious:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQzisL_aDxM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1nKndFQnfs

Compare those two heavier ones above with Two Winters Only from this album:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmQ34GL-fzk


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 Post subject: Re: My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River (#8776)
PostPosted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 4:13 pm 
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Einherjar
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I've never been able to totally commit to this band. As you say, there are a good many things to like about them. Fabulous doom riffs abound, complex yet palatable song structures and the band can segue in and out of styles so seamlessly you barely notice the change. However, the sappy lyrical melodrama and wimpy (IMO) clean vocals keep me from fully embracing them. Still, I'll give this album another shot and see if I like it better on the second go-round.


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 Post subject: Re: My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River (#8776)
PostPosted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 2:58 pm 
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Einherjar
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Nope. Just not my cup of tea, gents. Bet this album makes the goth girlies swoon.


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 Post subject: Re: My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River (#8776)
PostPosted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 10:24 am 
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Thrash til' Deth wrote:
Nope. Just not my cup of tea, gents. Bet this album makes the goth girlies swoon.


Your loss, man. This is perfect music for "oh my god I'm so miserable that I can't even" type moods, and although I'll admit the band can go over the top with it, it's still a wonderful doom metal experience.

Cheers NFH! *goth-bro fist-bump*


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 Post subject: Re: My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River (#8776)
PostPosted: Wed Aug 20, 2014 7:49 am 
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Ist Krieg

Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:07 am
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But do goths bro fist-bump?

They made the exact album they wanted to make at the time, and nothing really sounds out of place, similar to the vibe from A Map of All Failures. Do I prefer their heavier material generally? Sure, but I can't argue with the execution here.


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 Post subject: Re: My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River (#8776)
PostPosted: Wed Aug 20, 2014 5:26 pm 
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Ist Krieg
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I'm entirely content to listen to Dreadful Hours whenever I want to hear MDB. My loss, I imagine. Or not since I could just listen to Dreadful Hours for weeks.


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 Post subject: Re: My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River (#8776)
PostPosted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 11:00 pm 
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My Dying Bride is one of my top ten favorite bands of all time. Sharing those ranks with bands like Iron Maiden, Amorphis, Katatonia, Napalm Death, and Mayhem. I'm just trying to give you an idea of how much this band means to me. The Barghest O' Whitby IMO is one of the best EPs ever made alongside Cosmic Requiem. His voice can be the most wretched sounding thing in the world and then a second later the most beautifully powerful clean tone. The Angel and the Dark River was the second album I owned by MDB and I instantly fell in love with it. My first album was Like Gods of the Sun so when I got Angel and the Dark River I was completely blown away by how different it was. It was so organic compared to LGOS. A Sea to Suffer In, Two Winters Only, and Your Shameful Heaven are some of the best songs ever written. I remember drinking a bottle of red wine and listening to the album front to back many times. Those songs will forever strike an emotional chord with me. An epic album that will always remind me of the days of collecting CDs and displaying them in flip cases. I found this CD at a record store. Remember when you had to order CDs with the paper order forms from Century Media or go to the store to shuffle through the CDs.


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 Post subject: Re: My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River (#8776)
PostPosted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 6:42 pm 
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Einherjar
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[quote="voxmonster"]Remember when you had to order CDs with the paper order forms from Century Media or go to the store to shuffle through the CDs.[/quote]

Oh yes. The store I used to frequent had these massive catalogs that you needed to comb through to find all the underground metal records that weren't being sold in the store. It was very hit and miss, but when I found something that was totally kick-ass it was a little like finding the Holy Grail. I discovered both Mercyful Fate and Slayer this way. The cover to Don't Break the Oath won me over instantly.


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 Post subject: Re: My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River (#8776)
PostPosted: Sun Oct 18, 2015 5:29 am 
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I live with my parents!
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Listening to this album after a vast gap. Ingeniously theatrical, and emotive. My Dying Bride is becoming a favourite again.


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 Post subject: Re: My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River (#8776)
PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2015 2:11 am 
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Ist Krieg

Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:07 am
Posts: 6498
Location: USoA
Not my favorite of theirs, but perhaps their best executed. Only mistake was the ambient sounds that drone for 5 minutes after Cry of Mankind ends, throws me off every time. Two Winters Only is the best 'ballad' type of track they ever did.


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