MY DYING BRIDE — As the Flower Withers (review)

MY DYING BRIDE — As the Flower Withers album cover Album · 1992 · Death-Doom Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Warthur
Although subsequent albums like Turn Loose the Swans seem to be regarded as the peak of early My Dying Bride, it's actually this debut album of theirs which has won me around to their brand of death-doom. I suspect the reason it's often overlooked is that it has a somewhat simpler, stripped-down sound: there's still some violin, but it's not especially promiment, and the vocals only come from Aaron Stainthorpe and they are mostly in a death growl. But with their sound pared back like this, you can really appreciate the group's ability to switch between slow, doomy gloom and faster death metal-oriented playing at the drop of a hat. It isn't without its issues - in particular, I think Rick Miah's drum sound is occasionally a bit thin - but it's a solid start for the band and enough to prompt me to take a second look at them.
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Warthur wrote:
more than 2 years ago
I have, in fact, been inspired to take another look at Turn Loose the Swans and The Angel and the Dark River and I think I appreciate what they were doing there better now that I've seen the foundation of their style here. (Turn Loose the Swans seemed to have one foot here and one foot in darkwave - the version of Sear Me there could have been done by Dead Can Dance - and The Angel and the Dark River seemed to be an exercise in integrating those different influences into a new whole.)
UMUR wrote:
more than 2 years ago
I remember when this one was released. It was a huge revelation. Not that we haven´t heard heavy doomy riffs and rhythms before, but the extremely heavy melancholy and the use of violin were something new and fresh on the metal scene at the time. It used to be one of my favorite albums, but personally I think they´ve made much better albums since then.

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