Review MY DYING BRIDE ‘A Mortal Binding’

“A Mortal Binding” is the 15th album by British doom/death metal icons My Dying Bride. Since the release of “As the Flower Withers”, the band has been known for dark and intense albums that are beyond the usual beaten paths.

The six-piece band takes time to develop these gloomy songs, and it has been four years since My Dying Bride released their previous album, “The Ghost of Orion”. Since then, the band has written and recorded seven new epic songs, all wrapped in grayness.

“Her Dominion” is the first chapter of this excellent release and it is built on two main pillars. On the one hand there is the slow and Sabbath-like riffing and on the other hand the vocals of frontman Aaron Stainthorpe. There is not only grief as a basic vibe in his voice. It is more of hateful screams that create a sinister atmosphere that gives you the shivers. The opener is a mesmerizing start to the album that continues with a song called “Thornwyck Hymn”.

The interesting effect of placing these two songs behind each other is that they represent the entire range of My Dying Bride’s sound. While the opener is dark and vicious, “Thornwyck Hymn” picks up the trademarks while clean vocals add a gothic vibe to the song. It doesn’t take away from the heaviness of this song, but rather adds to the overall picture of My Dying Bride.

The songs of “A Mortal Binding” are more like laments with a foundation in the depths of doom metal. The integrated violin is a perfect way to underline the basic atmosphere of these sadness driven songs that have the potential to kill every ray of sunshine.

With “The 2nd of Three Bells” the level of expressed despair reaches the next dimension. Suffering is the main emotion that runs through the song from beginning to end. The start is very quiet and when the song gains some power, every note carries this wailing sadness of a heavily loaded soul.

A highlight among highlights is “Unthroned Creed”. The song is built on a great riff and it’s real emotional pain that is expressed. Rarely has the feeling of melancholy sounded so seductive and appealing. “Unthroned Creed” gives way to “The Apocalypse”, the longest song on the album. The aforementioned violin stands for a calm and peaceful introduction before Stainthorpe’s harsh growls are the first outburst of this epos. Based on some first creative ideas of Andrew Craighan, in collaboration with bassist Lena Abé, “Unthroned Creed” developed into an ode to grief and despair.

In addition to all the aforementioned emotions associated with the album, each of these songs is written with a flaming heart and a passionate approach that comes from within. The six-piece feels these songs and not just plays tunes. This is what gives “A Mortal Binding” its intensity. It is this romantic longing that echoes with each song, and if you want to describe the music in visual terms, then take a look at “The Monk by the Sea” by Caspar David Friedrich. The painting is the perfect visualization of what “A Mortal Binding” offers musically.

My Dying Bride is the anticipated next stellar album from the doom metal icons. It fits seamlessly into the stream of records unleashed over the last 30+ years.