Songs of Darkness: Words of Light

My Dying Bride | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 9, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Peaceville UK
• ASIN: B0001DD9AE
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,387 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars all MDB gets 5 stars, December 28, 2004

By 

Nicholas P. Zaworski "nicholas" (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Songs of Darkness: Words of Light (Audio CD)

I'm writing this review for not only this new album, but over 10 years of beautiful, introspective, and yes, depressing evil suicide music. Andy, the lead guitarist, has been a hero to me. His riffs, they embody the feelings, the sadness, the bleakness, of a nuclear holocaust survivor. He has inspired my guitar playing, he has enhanced my vision of a failing America, he has given me solace on many a stormy night. His riffs, on any MDB album, along with Ade the bass player and Aaron on vocals are the core of this great, great band. While they have lost a drummer, a rythm guitarist, and most noticably Martin(currently Cradle of Filth's pianist) on violin and keys, these three continue to make the fine art that is My Dying Bride.
From their early avant-garde doom/death metal classics: the Trinity album of EPs and As the Flower Withers and Turn Loose the Swans,
To the goth classics of The Angel and the Dark River and Like Gods of the Sun,
To the odd but no-less precious 34.78888%,
To the reborn sounds of The Light at the End of the World and The Dreadful Hours and finally this newest of their albums: Songs of Darkness Words of Light, MDB continue their tradition. Long, contemplative songs with great riffs and bass, solid drumming to tie it together and the poetics of Aaron who has a meloncholic style nowadays that both sooths and saddens. Look to the Trinity and As the Flower Withers albums to experince his majestic death growls- wich find their balance alongside his singing (finally) on this album.
I would say that this is MDB most balanced album. Each song is at once melancholic, then malevolent. The guitar lulls you into a trance, then pounds you with a crushing and yes, CATCHY, riff. Each song is a poem. The music carries you away. This is a good album.
If you are new to MDB, I would recommend starting at the beginning and working your way up to this one. Think of these albums not as recordings made up of individual songs, for I think you would be missing the point. Think of these albums as soundtracks to drive your car to. Everything you see out the window will move to the beat, all vistas and all cities will appear sad and as if they were crumbling. This is the magic of MDB, the apocalyptic beauty of the band. They don't make songs to bang your head to, although their music is heavy and riffs catchy. They make music to drive to, soundscapes to be savoured and which will evolve as you evolve. This is the sondtrack to your own personal downfall. Happy pop music lovers beware, this is for deep thinkers, suicidals and dark music lovers only. That being said, these Britts rock. If you like this band, don't forget the DVD which features the original line-up.
This is one band that I hope you will try. If you like one song, chances are you will like the album. If you like one album, why not ALL the albums? This is a great band that makes MAGICAL MUSIC. Don't skip these guys- ENJOY!!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Songs of Darkness Indeed....., July 26, 2004

By 

progpatron01 "progpatron01" (mn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Songs of Darkness: Words of Light (Audio CD)

I cant belive whats before my eyes.....3 star reviews for this magnificent album?! Dont be fooled this album deserves every last of the 5 stars I gave it. This is a brilliant doom masterpiese in my opinion, its sad, dark, and sorrowful. The texture of this album is much reflected by the cover art. In fact the texture of mdb's music is the most appealing thing to me. This album includes 8 brilliant tracks of sorrowful, dark, and somtimes brutal doom/death. There is not a bad track on the album. I highly recommend this to any fan of doom.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Songs of Darkness, Words of Even More Darkness, October 6, 2005

By 

Ao Me Akuma (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Songs of Darkness: Words of Light (Audio CD)

It's that time again. Time to take another dive into the very deepest pits of dread and despair. Time to unleash a monolithic slab of Gothic Horror upon the unsuspecting masses. It is...a new My Dying Bride album.

This, quite simply, is Doom Metal at its finest. Slow, ultra-heavy riffs. Tortured vocals speaking of death and despair. An atmosphere of utter gloom and hopelessness. Contrary to the album title, there's very little "light" in these words. Like all My Dying Bride albums, it's slow, somber, occasionally malevolent, and throughout, miserably depressing. Of the original "Big Three" of Doom Metal, including Paradise Lost and Anathema, only My Dying Bride continue to play actual Doom Metal, a fact we can all be thankful for.

"Songs of Darkness, Words of Light" begins with "The Wreckage of my Flesh" which is quintessential Doom Metal. Throughout the album, one finds only more darkness, with subjects ranging from lost love ("My Wine in Silence", "A Doomed Lover"), apocalyptic imagery ("Catherine Blake") to good old fashioned Gothic Horror ("The Blue Lotus"). Quite possibly this is their bleakest album yet; even more so than 2001's "The Dreadful Hours". The tone is consistent throughout; the band's fans wouldn't have it any other way.

Guitarists Andy Craighan and Hamish Glencross lay down boulder-sized riffs, which, thanks to the excellent production, really do sound heavy as a ton of bricks. Keyboardist Sarah Stanton provides subtle atmospheric synthesizer effects, which perfectly accentuate the bleak tone of the album. Vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe ranges from a snarly growl, to an ominous, spoken-word delivery, to a sort of despairing moan, sometimes all within the same song. The lyrics, as always, are wonderfully poetic, and far from the cliched "angst" that you might hear in mainstream "dark rock" (to take a very deserved swipe at Evanescence).

Naturally, My Dying Bride has never been the easiest band to acquire a taste for. But for the more darkly inclined, do yourself a favor and pick this CD up, because the masses will NEVER understand anything as gloomy, depressing, and downright un-trendy as this.