My Dying Bride
The Angel And The Dark River

THE REVIEW

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.