AS THE FLOWER WITHERS

This, the debut album from My Dying Bride set a new standard in doom metal. Together with Candlemass, Anathema and Paradise Lost; My Dying Bride kickstarted doom metal again. Of these three bands, Candlemass were more a Black Sabbath clone, Anathema ventured into indie rock and Paradise Lost went off with a major label and lost their way. Only My Dying Bride ventured into the nomans land between symphonic prog and doom metal............ and made this land into their own.

For me; My Dying Bride is a crossover between symphonic prog and doom metal. This album proves it. The songs here is basically very slow and symphonic. That's symphonic in the vein of the classic music composers Richard Wagner and Gustav Mahler. Both of them composed very heavy, complex classic music. Richard Wagner's opera music is regarded as the forerunner to bands like Black Sabbath and My Dying Bride. Therein and from Gustav Mahler's classical music lays the foundation stones of this album.

Beyond a growling vocal lays some symphonic doom dirge epics. This is music as happy as a suicidal depression. It is based on the darkness of our souls. No devil, just depression. From this, My Dying Bride both creates gloomy scenarios and ethereal doom. The songs are both long and slightly complex. The average song length is around seven minutes with one song stretching it's darkness to thirteen minutes. The music is not beautiful. Neither is it ugly. This music is a new musical concept for most of you, although those of you familiar to Black Sabbath, Nick Cave and Gustav Mahler may be in a familiar territory. This is slow, heavy music and the quality is good throughout. It has it's flaws, but they are rather minor. I regard it as a good follow up to Black Sabbath's debut album and one for the darkened nights in my dungeon.

4 stars