Customer Reviews

Angel & the Dark River

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

~This is thee modern Doom metal album to own as far as I'm concerned. The opener The Cry of Mankind is one of the most beautiful compositions I've ever heard (in metal or otherwise). The piano and gutiar melodies blend into an etherial abiance that the band had never achieved before. After I heard this song, I knew that their last album Turn Loose the Swans was no fluke. And while the end of the song is a cacophony of the sounds including that of a seashore, a woman gently whispering "Hello." and a chorus of voices pushing the first track into double digit time... the actual meat of the song is heavy yet magnificent enough to even make Enya cry.

~And while the other songs brood about in the direction Swans was taking (gutteral guitar riffs seamlessly blended with violin piano and keyboard accompanyments making the listener wonder why the keyman Martin would join the cheesy Cradle of Filth instead) they are far from filler. This might in fact be the last My Dying Bride album to have lyrics that don't retread into old territory or otherwise sound forced. The Death metal vocals are absent, but weren't a neccesity to their sound at the time. Most obvious on display in Two Winters Only, which could almost be mistakenly called Doom metal's answer to a power ballad. With each note it is obvious that time was taken in recording this album. But perhaps patience is necesary for the average listener.

~The final track Your Shameful Heaven (along with Cry) displays the band's willingness to experiment with more straight-forward song structures. Yet it is far heavier than any other track on the album, with a midpaced almost thrash-like appeal. And it makes a nice sandwich of the original studio recorded material.

~This newly remastered edition seems to include the Live at the Dynamo mini disc. Which was a brilliant idea, yet I notice that one of the tracks is missing, (Your Shameful Heaven I believe). This is unfortunate since the album includes The Sexuality of Bereavement, which could have been sacrificed for the missing track due to it's original and remastered appearance on the Trinity album.

~Still I give the album 5 stars for it's original content. Looking back many might wonder why the band hasn't truly evolved from the sound they established on this and Turn Loose the Swans, (with the exception of the experiental but not unlikable 34.788% Complete)? Perhaps there is no perfect answer, not every band can get better plus evolve with each album like Death did. But then I'm not so sure that My Dying Bride need to.

~I highly recommend this to any Doom fan (and maybe even the goth interested, although that's an inappropriate title here). Also I think thrash, speed, death and black could learn something from My Dying Bride. This an an excellent album to start with, and this album in particular is completely on the opposite end of the spectrum from more upbeat bands like In Flames or Iced Earth. the lyrics are very downtrodden and ready to take you to a level of sadness you may not even know existeted. At their shows more often than moshing you'll hear audience applause instead. But make no mistake, the band can tear up the heaviest tunes with the best of them. And you needn't worry about them treading into blues, country or... cowpunk as I call the last album Metallica.

After their previous release, Turn Loose the Swans, My Dying Bride set their standards very high indeed.With this, their third full length album, they achieve what few bands can: create an incredible album on a different path from that of their previous one. Where Turn Loose the Swans was raw and quite death in its musical approach, The Angel and the Dark River hardly has any growling and the guitars are more melodic. You know immediately it's MDB because through this change in style their spirit still transcends. The songs are sad; they talk of Love, Death, Religion... Aaron's usual inspiration for his lyrics, but the music gives us a different perspective from that of past and future albums. Indeed, never again has MDB been even close to accomplishing an album as complete as this. The first track, The Cry of Mankind, lasts over 12 min and is probably the best in this album, maybe even the best song MDB has ever written; a tale of how Jesus looks down on Mankind and sees how we are destroying ourselves thus rendering his sacrifice useless. An epic which shows straight away what we can expect from the rest of the album: Slow grinding guitars inter playing with each other, harmonising often, which together with Martin's violin and keyboards (the best I've ever heard!) create that melancholic sound which is the trademark of MDB. Aaron's laments complete the painting in sad dark hues; there is a bit of growling in some songs but somehow it is not missed (for those of you who think DOOM must be growled this is a lesson on how to deliver intense vocals without reverting to growls). A review on this album cannot be complete without commenting on the incredible drumming by Rick Miah, who is, to my liking, the best DOOM drummer in the business (sadly, he is no longer a member of the band). Not one of the tracks has a simple rhythm, his use of the double bass and the cymbals adds the final touch to an already perfect album. The Angel and the Dark River is a must for anyone interested in DOOM and will serve as a comparison for other DOOM albums for a long time to come. Essential listening.

When I first found out about My Dying Bride I was immeadiatly intreagued. The thought of a violinest in a metal band realy got my attention. The only thing remotly similar to "violin metal" that I had heard was some of King Crimson's mid 70's material which is absolutly amazing. Anyways I had to hear this band. So I went out and picked up "The Angel & the Dark River". I was blown away to say the least. The album was as close to perfect as any metal album I'd ever had the privledge of hearing before or sience.
My Dying Bride is made up of many enticing elements. First of all there are Aaron Stainthorpe's powerful vocals. Ranging from deep gothic vocals to whiny wailing moans (and going into the realms of death and black metal vocals on other albums) Aaron's vocals are able to meet any neccicary style needed for this album. His lyrics focus on the loss of faith, the loss of love and deep, dark, lust. Then theres Martin Powell's beutiful violin work. This is the X factor that brings the album from great to all time classic. He also plays some very haunting piano and keyboards. Then theres the unforgettable drumming of Rick Miah. No simple fills here, Rick fills the album with great drum fills and mad beats without ever overusing them (unlike his replacment Shaun Steels). Add in amazing riff after amazing riff and an indescrible atmosphere and you get "The Angel and the Dark River".
The album kicks off with "The Cry of Man Kind". With one riff repeated over and over for the entire song one might imagine that the song would wear out its welcome, but by covering it with doomy rhythems, classical piano and short guitar solos the first six minutes fly right by. Aaron's lyrics about Jesus looking down at the destroied Earth and regreting his sacrafice give the song an apocoliptic ambiance. The next six minutes contains a bunch of gothic sounds such as a choir, an old whispering woman, crickets and a... tugboat? This gives you some time to think back on what you've just heard. "From the Darkest Skies" is probably the best song here. Switching between sorowful violin, crunchy guitar riffs, and powerful organs, the song never stops twisting and turning from start to finish. Aaron's vocals are good enough to bring you to tears as he cries "I'll breathe in you, I'm a fool, just for you". Then theres the nine and a half minute epic "The Black Voyage". After a lenghthy violin led intro, the song moves along a doomy path until it hits the middle. At this point the music softens into a slow, dark, pulsing, funeral-doomish style as Aaron groans about entering hell. "A Sea to Suffer In" starts with some great gothic pianio before an unforgettable violins solo. At the 1:35 mark there is the best drum fill I have ever heard. Anyone who appricates drums must hear this masterful drumming. The rest of the song conatains an onslaught of great riffs and deep gothic vocals. This song competes with "From the Darkest Skies" for the title of best song on the album. The next song is a complete change. "Two Winters Only" is very ballaidesque. After a lenghthy classical guitar led verse the drums kick in the violin and metal into a dramatic chorus. After the second verse theres a real cool thirty second metal part and then the song ends with one more dramatic chorus. "Your Shameful Heaven" starts out with a lone violin playing a heartbreaking solo that is unforgetable. The rest of the song is a lustful conclusion to the album as Aaron snarles "The only real ache is between your legs". The song is dark and filt with spite.
Some versions of the album (though this one doesn't) contain a bonus track "The Sexuality of Beverment", which although a great song is not meant for this album. My Dying Bride did not choose to put this song on the album. The record company added it and to be quite honest, it just doesn't fit in. The songs at least three years older then the other material here and is therefore written in a very different style. Also the song contains death metal vocals, and although I adore Aaron's growls, they're not meant for "The Angel & the Dark River".
With "The Angel & the Dark River" My Dying Bride has created an album that will be look at as a staple of the goth/doom metal scene for a long time. The album is essentail for any fan of My Dying Bride, dark metal, or anyone who simply loves different and creative music.

Amazing, truly Amazing! This cd will elicit intense & varied emotional responses. From the joy of love (Black Voyage), to the anger of a lost relationship (A Sea to Suffer In), to the sorrows of death (Two Winters Only)!! This is the most HUMAN of all releases...EVER!! The violining is truly "otherwordly"...sounds like the weeping of angels! Listen to this in a candle-lit room while sipping Merlot!!!!

This is one of those rare albums that sucks you inside its sound texture and holds you there. It makes you turn on the Repeat mode on your CD-player and never stop the music. This is a work of genious, no doubt.

By 1995 My Dying Bride have already established themselves as one of the titans of British doom-metal along with such notable bands as Paradise Lost and Anathema. Their previous offering, "Turn Loose the Swans", was a breakthrough album, one of the best in the genre. And "The Angel and the Dark River" successfully keeps up this tradition of highest quality from MDB.

I'd say that this record is the second best in MDB's discography so far. It further develops the style first shown up on "Turn Loose the Swans", and takes it to the level of perfection. One biggest change is that Aaron Stainthorpe never uses his usual growl on this album. Instead, he sings with clear voice in a very gloomy, depressed, sorrowful moan. He pictures the emotions of helplessness and loss excellently. His vocals is one of the highlights of this album. The lyrics are on par with vocal style, telling tales of lost hope, despair and dying.

Another highlight is the album's incredible melodism. This record is built on interwoven melodic passages from dual guitars and violin, played by Martin Powell. I don't know words to describe this experience. The guitar plays slow melodic riff, and then violin comes in, with unearthly melody, weeping, dying of lost hope. In some parts of the album this experience is further enhanced by piano or synthesized organ background.

I can't but mention the drumming here. This is a template for what means to be a great doom-metal drummer. Very creative fills and patterns, though never getting in the way of emotional experience of music.

The general sound of this album is heavy crushing depression. It's skillfully interchanged with softer, more ballad-like or more ambient parts, so the listener never feels bored. This record is perfect in all aspects, and I fail to see the reason for not liking it. I'd say this is a MUST-HAVE record for anyone interested in emotionally deep music. The strength of experience delivered by "The Angel and the Dark River" is hard to surpass.

P.S. Future showed, that Martin Powell was a crucial element for My Dying Bride's majesty. When he left, it took the band full 5 years to make a record, that is close in quality to this one. I'm talking about "The Dreadful Hour". And still my hopes are high for the upcoming new offering from the depressed Britts.

My Dying Bride could be said to be an accquired taste. Their brooding, melancholic doom metal is not fitting to the majority. This band is wonderfully unique in the genre, largely due to the darkly symphonic overtones contributed by the bands keyboardist/violinist, Martin. His occasional full-length violin solos and keyboard fills seemlessly flow together with Calvin's sombre single note lines and painfully slow, dark drop-tuned riffs. Aaron also does a lovely job on vocals, forgoing doom/death metal grunts for solid, achingly honest clean vocals that range from apathetic, mumbling lows to epic, symphonic highs. Their best album, in my opinion.

I bought this album 12 years ago and I've been listening to it over and over again. It was the first MDB CD I've bought and, after buying all the others, I still think it is the best one.

The harmony between the violin and the guitars are just perfect and Aaron's vocals sounds better and more melancholic than ever. I think this is a perfect album in all possible aspects.

This is My Dying Bride's masterwork. From beginning to end, the power and melodrama is perfectly evident, and even displays shades of the epic sense they derive as fans of Dead Can Dance. His voice is not as assured as it is with later releases, but the emotion and despair is palpable. This is in my top ten in ANY genre. Some have complained about the guitar sound in the production, but, trust me, you get over it by the second track. If you don't own it, buy it, and find out what all the cool chaps on your block are talking about.

I got this album a long time ago after seeing an add for it in a Relaspe magazine. Later to know I didn't know so many was into this band and they are legends. This is really my first true taste of this newer goth metal..doom metal...whatever you call it. It's Gothic to me. Sad, sincere, heavy and beautiful. The first track is the standout track with a sample that plays throughout the entire song for 10 minutes and works great with progression and contains some really cool piano with dark guitars. Some parts in the middle of the cd drags at parts for no reason but outside of that is great. However, what The Angel and the Dark River has that is really great is the neat use of violins. Not as background music either. It matches up with the guitar so great. Makes it heavy and pretty yet very mystical. This album gives me the vibe of being in a strange dark twisted relationship with my girlfriend.

Most of My Dying Bride's material is very, very good. However, it is hard for me to get in to anything they have done since this album. The reason-this album is so good. I haven't heard any of their earlier albums, but what I have heard of the albums after this (I do own two of them) is a band trying to fit in with their peers. On this album, however, they seemed to be playing from the soul. Call it the `Dark Side of the Moon` of gothic metal and you would probably not be far off. Furthermore, I don't mind death metal vocals. After hearing this album, however, it just pisses me off that he used them in other albums. His voice is a perfect mixture of gloom and schizophrenia, and it mixes perfectly with the violins and pianos that glide beautifully over the crunching guitar licks. For anyone who loves dark, heavy music, this is an album you must have. One warning though; the music is very creative and well written, but the tracks can get pretty long. It may seem to drag at first, but give it time. Once you see the whole picture, it will grow on you untill it becomes one of your favorite metal albums.