My Dying Bride – A Mortal Binding
Release Date: 19th April 2024
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Doom Metal, Death Metal, Goth.
FFO: Paradise Lost, Moonspell, Ahab, Swallow the Sun, Draconian, Novembers Doom.
Review By: Rick Farley
For a band that’s career has spanned a little over thirty-three years and has produced some of doom metals most influential albums, including the legendary Turn Loose the Swans or The Dreadful Hours; you would think by album number fifteen A Mortal Binding, Yorkshire England based quintet My Dying Bride would at this point in their history be content with just phoning it in, and actually getting away with it. Luckily for us, A Mortal Binding which is being released by Nuclear Blast Records on April 19th, 2024, is far from run-of-the-mill. Slight spoiler, this is quintessential My Dying Bride. Mournful, dramatic, haunting, heavy, and somehow darkly beautiful. In some respects, reminding me of the golden days of the melancholic masters. Depending on what album you came in on, or how long you have been a fan, everyone seems to have their own choice of the best album. That’s a remarkable accomplishment, considering few bands strike gold once or maybe even twice in their careers. The forefathers of withering death/doom and goth metal have returned for a raw, stripped down, straightforward approach to their brand of melodramatic darkness. Their fifteenth album comes with incredible anticipation.
Track one, Her Dominion, kicks off the album on the death metal side of things with a crawling guitar melody that leads into a pedalling crunchy riff and Aaron Stainthorpe’s instantly recognizable wretched growls. Shaun MacGowan’s violins/synths sway in the background like sombre spectres with entranced fluency. Chugging guitar riffs plod along, undeniably heavy, with the overall atmosphere feeling airy and free to roam. Lena Abé’s slinky bassline driving forward feels weighted and punchy. This track perfectly sets the tone of the crushing power from a band that has been developing a sense of death/doom drama for three decades.
Thornwyck Hymn is about as vintage My Dying Bride as you can get. Thick walls of distorted chords, harmonized guitar melodies, Aaron’s unique clean vocal crooning and chilling ambiance. Its bleakness and darkness shining through like a radiant blade set amongst burnt ashes. The metallic and tight riffs from master songwriter Andrew Craighan are once again top-notch, the man can do no wrong. Brutality meets melody meets melancholy. It is an intoxicating blend that has always set this band apart from everyone else in the genre. Now permanent guitarist Neil Blanchett and the return of drummer Dan Mullins just adds to the incredible musicianship. The drum work is fantastic.
Instant classic, The 2nd of Three Bells is a twisting, plodding storm that infects your consciousness. This sounds like the grief-stricken romance of a deceased love slowly inching towards supreme anger. Utterly devastating in the best possible way, while The Apocalyptist bashes you repeatedly with brooding deathly heaviness. From heart-wrenching to oppressive brutality, this album intensely affects your emotions to your soul.
The production from Mark Mynett (Mynetaur Productions) makes A Mortal Binding possibly the best sounding record I have heard so far this year. Each instrument intimately connected and tight, but there is a tremendous amount of space created between everything, which makes it all feel ethereally loose, profound, and immersive. Crystal clarity with a rawness that enhances the incredible songwriting. Mark was tasked with selecting the track order as well. The flow of the album creates tension between tracks till the very end.
My Dying Bride has a remarkable discography, which makes it hard to determine where this sits exactly. With that being said, A Mortal Binding stands on its own as being one hell of an enjoyable death/doom album, which is sure to please old fans and new ones alike. Easy recommend.
(4.5 / 5)
