FEEL THE MISERY

UK band MY DYING BRIDE is a veteran band in the world of metal, with a 25 year long history as a band at this point and with 13 studio albums to their name at the time of writing. "Feel the Misery" is their most recent studio effort, and was released through UK label Peaceville Records in the fall of 2015.

While My Dying Bride is a name I've often encountered over the years, I don't think I've ever heard their music until I was handed this album for review, and as an old time metal fan I was curious about what to expect from this band. I did know they had a reputation as a doom metal band though, and that aspect is a dominant trait throughout this album. As such this isn't a band that pulls out any big surprises in the style department. On general terms, this is music of a kind and nature as expected.

The opening three compositions, all of them among the longest on this album, are the highlights here in my opinion. On each of them we're treated to an accomplished band that manage to alternate the proceedings quite nicely, with slower doom-laden passages alternating with pacier interludes quite nicely, keyboards and violin used to complement and supplement the guitar-dominated arrangements quite nicely, and with an effective use of clean vocals and a grittier, growl-oriented vocal delivery that fits the proceedings quite nicely. Fairly sophisticated stuff at times, of the kind that makes a description such as progressive doom metal tempting to sum up the material.

But following this intriguing opening run, the material lessens in interest for me. The arguably classical inspired piano and keyboards driven affairs A Thorn of Wisdom and I Almost Loved you gets to be too monotone for my taste in music, and the lack of contrasting features, alternating sequences with marked differences and the stronger focus on the sorrow-filled vocals all combine to make tracks like Feel the Misery in part and I Celebrate Your Skin in particular to come across as more bland to my ears. Rich in sorrow-filled moods and atmospheres though, so for those with a particular interest in melancholy with distinctly tragic under- and overtones those tracks should appeal rather strongly though I suspect.

Concluding epic Within a Sleeping Forest also starts out in a similar monotone manner, and while organ and violin alternates in the initial phases and we're treated to the clean and growl-oriented vocals alternation as well, the over all themes explored are too much of the same, and with a too heavy emphasis on the tragic serenade aspect of the band to my ears. A rougher section introduced halfways and repeated towards the end, with more of a menacing sheen to it in a Triptykon kind of way, becomes the saving grace here though for the total experience of this particular creation, as this latter aspect of the composition is so well made and performed that it manages to elevate the total experience, at least for me.

At the end of the day my first encounter with My Dying Bride comes across as a mixed experience. I like and at times adore the band when they opt to explore territories of a more complex and sophisticated nature, relatively speaking, but when they focus overly much on either a particular mood or a more narrowly oriented style spectrum the end result fails to capture my imagination as well as fascination. While this production is a mixed experience for me, I'd suggest that those with a keen fascination for doom-laden, sorrow-filled moods and atmospheres should seek out this album, and perhaps especially those who recognize themselves in that description that are in their teens or early twenties.

Bring out the bottles and obsess over sad memories because My Dying Bride has returned with their thirteenth album, Feel the Misery. For 25 years, they have been the measuring stick in depressive doom metal, releasing one great album after another and influencing countless bands in both death/doom and gothic/doom genres along the way. And this new album continues this legacy and cements My Dying Bride's position at the top of their craft.

This album marks a change in the lineup with the departure of long time guitarist Hamish Hamilton Glencross. But that also allows Calvin Robertshaw to return who performed in all of their classic albums in the 90s. However this change in lineup hasn't made a big difference in the sound of My Dying Bride. The album consists of trademark My Dying Bride riffs that mixes slow death metal riffs with massive doom metal riffs. The death metal riffs chug along most of the time and provide the album with enough aggression. They never get boring or feel stuck, the riffs feel destructive and move fluidly with a purpose throughout the songs. They also never get too repetitive as new riffs are introduced in almost every new verse. Bigger, doomier riffs are also used which are most notable in Within a Sleeping Forest. The riffs are often accompanied with some mournful guitar leads. The bass is not always distinguishable but when there are some independent basslines, they are typically sorrowful like in A Thorn of Wisdom.

All songs here are long but the album still can be divided into two parts. One consisting the longer songs that exceed the nine minutes mark and the other consisting relatively shorter songs that only exceed five or six minutes mark. As the songs progress, violins and keyboards are introduced within them. However they are used more prominently in the relatively shorter songs than the longer ones. Both violins and keyboards are very melancholic and they mostly used for atmospheric purpose. But they can also take central stage like in I Almost Loved You which is a neoclassical piece in the vein of Sear Me MCMXCIII and For My Fallen Angel. While the drums are not present in that song, they are in others and the drumming in the album is solid and dynamic. Sometimes the drums plod along but change pace before it can get monotonous. They enable the flow of the songs very effectively.

Aaron Stainthorpe growls, sings, recites and whispers over all these instruments throughout the album and his vocals are as good as ever. His crooning clean vocals are absolutely mournful and they will definitely make you feel the misery. His growls are also wretchedly hateful. He does not growl fast like in older albums but even with slow pace he can get the job done in style. You can really feel the emotion in his voice. He is not just blurting out the words, he means them. The lyrics are also very depressive as expected. Along with the pensive gothic imagery, there's also enough nihilism which will appeal to your inner misanthrope.

My Dying Bride has done it again. With Feel the Misery they have released yet another miserable opus that will satisfy their loyal fan base and also anyone who likes their doom metal depressive. When the scene is plagued with this so called new wave of retro hipster doom where 70's psychedelic rock rip off wanna be bands get passed as doom metal, My Dying Bride keeps bringing the much needed fix of misery that all misery junkies desire. While listening to this album you will have no choice but to feel the misery and be doomed.

Best Tracks: #2. To Shiver in Empty Halls, #6. I Celebrate Your Skin.

"Feel the Misery" is the 13th full-length studio album by UK doomh metal act My Dying Bride. The album was released through Peaceville Records in September 2015. It's been three years since the release of "A Map of All our Failures (2012)", but My Dying Bride has not laid low in that time. As ususal they have kept busy touring, but they also released "The Manuscript" EP in 2013, and "The Vaulted Shadows" compilation in 2014. The latter is a compilation of "The Barghest O' Whitby (2011)" EP and "The Manuscript (2013)" EP.

My Dying Bride has shifted between four different drummers in the last 10 years, and while some of them have returned for session or live work with the group, few of them have lasted long as permanent members of the band. Dan "Storm" Mullins, who was a permanent member of My Dying Bride from 2007-2012, plays the drums on "Feel the Misery" as a session musician. There's been one change in the permanent lineup since "The Manuscript (2013)", which was the band's last studio recording before "Feel the Misery", as guitarist Hamish Hamilton Glencross has been replaced by a returning Calvin Robertshaw. Losing a capacity like Glencross who had been part of the lineup for 14 years, must have been a real blow, so it was probably a great relief that original member Robertshaw opted to return to the fold.

It's always been guitarist Andrew Craighan and lead vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe, who have led the group and who are primarily responsible for the songwriting, so despite quite a few lineup changes over the years (and again this time around), My Dying Bride has been remarkably consistent in both quality and style during their now long career. Sure there are some releases that aren't on par with their best output, but even those are also of a high quality. So the music style on "Feel the Misery" is no surprise. Slow, heavy, and melancholic doom metal with Aaron Stainthorpe's paatos filled clean vocals and occasional growling vocals in front (there are actually a fair amount of growling sections on this particular release). The use of keyboards and occasional violin is also a trademark of the band's sound that is present on "Feel the Misery". Guitar harmonies and darkly poetic lyrics paint the right gloomy gothic picture.

So as always with a new My Dying Bride release it's the quality of the songwriting and the sound production which define it's rank in the band's discography. And the songwriting is generally really strong on "Feel the Misery". Each track is distinct sounding and memorable after only a few listens, which is not always the case on the band's releases. Of course that shouldn't be misunderstood as if the music is simple or instantly catchy, because My Dying Bride as always challenge their listeners with non-linear song structures, and unconventional use of bridges and sections, which at times means that the music touches progressive territory. The album opens with the quite brilliant "And My Father Left Forever" and never lets go until the album closes with "Within a Sleeping Forest". "A Thorn of Wisdom" and "I Almost Loved You" are slightly different sounding tracks, as they are a bit more mellow and piano led, but the different nature of those tracks provide the album with nice variation.

The sound production is overall well sounding, although the drums are placed a bit low in the mix, and they feature a somewhat powerless and clicky sound. There is no doubt a more organic drum sound would have suited the music better. The fact that session drummer Dan "Storm" Mullins puts in what I would characterize as a bit of a half assed job (which is quite disappointing given his previous great performances with the band), isn't exactly a positive either. And don't get me wrong here...he gets the job done, but the drumming is very simple, and generally sounds uninspired. Other than the drumming, which I think is sub par to what we're used to from My Dying Bride, the musicianship is as usual on a very high level, and taking everything into account, "Feel the Misery" is another brilliant release by My Dying Bride despite a few issues. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

Something of a return to form compared to A Map of All Our Failures, Feel the Misery boasts a title which could act as a manifesto for My Dying Bride's entire back catalogue when you think about it. With a reconfigured lineup perhaps refreshing the sound a little and Calvin Robertshaw returning to the lead guitar post, the band produce an album which gives each member a moment in the sun. Check out the instrumental section on A Thorn of Misery, which starts with bassist Lena Abé backed on spectral organ by Shaun Macgowan and building up a mountain of tension before the rest of the band come in and bring us to the peak.