MY DYING BRIDE - TURN LOOSE THE SWANS (1994)
This band is my favourite of the peaceville 3 (Anathema, My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost). I think they're the most exploratory, but also, when they need to be, the heaviest of those bands. You should definitely go into this album expecting to hear some piano and violin sections, gaunt spoken or sung lyrics, synths, and clean guitar lines. Also, goth bitch poetry over violins, which I like. This is a very melodic and atmospheric release much of the time, but all of this material is well composed and emotionally riveting (and contributes to the despair and agony of the more violent moments). The whole first song is more or less seven minutes of that kind of thing.
In general the songwriting is strong, with memorable hooks and loads of dynamics. Many of the songs approach or surpass ten minutes, and generally have quite ambitious structures. The band will switch from contemplative ambience to huge, looming melodies and then crush you in a riff slug fest. For me, this is an album that earns its 80 minute runtime. The band know just when to let a concept breathe and when to switch it up, and you're constantly being hit by different textures. Despite the music's slowness and patience, this is very well paced and breezy stuff.
But also expect some mean ****ing riffs played LOUD at excruciating tempos. Usually, softer and harsher sections will alternate within a song, and often suddenly. I appreciate that My Dying Bride, despite all their frills, can deliver nasty, pounding death metal. The gutturals are gnarly at times too.
This album probably has my favourite riffs in all of death/doom, and is more than willing to let them breathe. Sections from this album get stuck in my head a lot. For example, that one really propulsive riff after Your River breaks into distortion often runs through my head at work for hours. I love how massive and meandering the first riff on The Songless Bird is, and how gnarly the guitars become later on when the track gets really violent. The best track, though, has to be the apocalyptic, industrial Transcending (Into the Exquisite), which follows an ambient drone piece, and is probably the most genuinely vicious thing here. The addition of programmed drums somehow manages to crack open my skull. Four on the floor-ing you into a pulp.
It's a real shame that some metal fans have such a distaste for these bands. It's true that they went on to influence a lot of somewhat questionable gothic metal, but a band like My Dying Bride can play really nasty death metal and works that into an attractive larger package. For that matter, I think it's a shame a lot of goth and post punk fans turn their noses up at this stuff. Oh well. I like them, but probably because I'm a sad bitch. This one will reward patience, and repeat listens.