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Rating: As a fundamental ideal of the somber English doom metal scene, the concept of drawing inspiration, if not entirely polarizing, from the works of the greatest English Romantic writers permeates the genre.
From this perspective, My Dying Bride do not take the liberty of going against the tide; instead, they forge their masterpiece on the foundations of John Milton's work, Paradise Lost.
And it is precisely amidst this intersection of literary and musical works that this album, as a whole, comes to life.
Melancholy, death, faith, love, anguish, gloomy scenarios, pain.
These and more are the themes of this sublime literary movement and this concept album.
Indeed, with “The Angel and the Dark River,” the English band shakes off the label of a “death metal band” and moves toward sounds and settings of depression and sadness.
A truly extraordinary change of course, which received positive feedback from the band's admirers.
The album is enveloped in a dark atmosphere and encompasses within itself all the factors for a distinctive sound, making the slow and deep riffs, characteristic of doom, its winning weapon. All the tracks manage to convey that sense of anguish and constraint, aided by the perfect instrumentation that the group uses masterfully.
The acoustic guitars fully sketch the restless landscape. The violin acts as Charon in this situation, transporting us from one shore of haunting melodies to another, also aided by the somber sound of the organ and piano arpeggios.
Stainthorpe's voice pulls everything together and appropriately interprets the content of the lyrics, adding an extra touch to the rhythmic cadences with an agonizing and eerie voice.
The album's opener, “The Cry of Mankind,” is a program unto itself, capable of making the listener understand the reflective dimension they are about to enter. But individual songs cannot be cited, as one must listen to the entire content of this work of art.
And not just the composition, but also the lyrics, inspired by the aforementioned “Miltonian paradise,” capable of entering the soul of every individual.
It is a complex album that imposes itself on the mind and ear of the listener, but it will never be associated with the word “boredom.” This is especially due to the sumptuous performances of the musicians who, through truly beautiful arrangements, pave the way for new musical horizons for anyone willing to listen to this new incarnation of doom.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 The Cry of Mankind (12:13)
You can't expect to see him and survive
You'll swallow his tongue of thorns
His mouth, dripping with flies
In his glorious kingdom of fire
But I believe he wept
I will make them all lie down
Down where hope lies dying
With lust, you're kicking mankind to death
We live and die without hope
You tramp us down in a river of death
As I stand here now, my heart is black
I don't want to die a lonely man
This is a weary hour
This is a weary hour
02 From Darkest Skies (07:48)
Take your own
Sick with fever
And cry out loud
to God
Your sorry own
Will be piled upon me
That I can't see
My God
I've cried for earth
More than once
But rivers still run
With reddest tears
Be lost in me
And I'll never need to ask
Who wants me? Who wants Me?
Be mine tonight. The sight of your light
I'll breathe in you. I'm a fool, just for you
I'm in pain
And I don't know why
Under heavy rain
From darkest skies
We're in pain
The two of us
And I no longer know
Which way to go
Open wide. Let me see
Your bleeding heart cries for me
Look straight up. Look at the sun
This song's for her. Her requiem
Open wide. Let me see
A poisoned soul in agony
Self pity strangles me
I'm lashed by grief
And I'm killing me
Don't fear. My fire is enough
For both of us
04 A Sea to Suffer In (06:31)
The field of blood I'd left
They mean nothing to you
That war left scars on me
Without you now, I'm free
I'd found out what you'd done to me, girl
I hate with as much passion as I love
And so now, your time's come, for me girl
The end. Your end. And my birth
Walk away. Laughing away
Remember you always, and wonder why?
I'll suffer in your sea
Your ocean bleeds into me
I'll fall through your endless sky
But never, ever cry
Wounded by your cruelty
Yes, I'll suffer in your sea
The fields of blood I'd left
They mean nothing to you
That war left scars on me
Without you now, I'm free
06 Your Shameful Heaven (06:59)
You, who stand there now
I will not tell you not to cry
Without fail my purpose
Will be fulfilled
I can crown you a God
And I'll suffer for your sins
Bound so tightly, pain is everything
Far from kindness. I am your king
Believe you're in Hell, but your's is Heaven
Cry to die. You'll love me forever
On a pale, teary cheek
Tears cascade to your feet
Whipped to the floor once again
Laughing and lashing you away
Burning pain scars through your skin
But it's 'more' you cry, for you are a sinner
We suffer in love, but you love to suffer
Your misery is your majesty
Though your skin may burn and your wounds, bleed
The only real ache is between your legs
You've learned well, through your Hell
Your pain was nothing. You longed for more.
Your shameful Heaven is full of devils
Just like me. Just for you
07 The Sexuality of Bereavement (08:04)
In soothe I lend a gracious ear
Your sobbing, somehow sexual
Come to my bosom. The help I bring
Is all my pleasure you lonely, dear thing
Oh, cruel love, when held by you
My sanity does fly
You lie there mourning with looks of desire
'T is beauty when you cry
Drink my grieving love
Desire and wine go well
Sleep, I'll watch over you
Relief? Time will tell
Secrecy fosters passion
You stay untouched
I know you are alone
With peace I care much
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Other reviews
By ale9t0
In this album, the band almost completely abandons the growl and dark atmospheres... to move towards more melancholic and romantic atmospheres thanks also to the splendid work performed by the violinist Martin Powell.
Thus ends the splendid journey that the listener has experienced and will probably relive many, many times, captivated by the beautiful melodies and splendid lyrics of the album.
By KingJudas
These gothic, spectral, lugubrious, dizzying atmospheres and that warm, seductive, terrifying voice, those electrifying, melancholic guitars, those theatrical, exhausting keyboards...
One hour of delirious poetry... is enough to fill my soul with good intentions and free it from the worries it holds.
