My Dying Bride
My Dying Bride are a British doom metal band (more precisely, a doom/death hybrid) from Cleckheaton, Yorkshire, UK. They were formed in 1990.
Statistics - Genre: Doom metal, Death metal
- Country: UK
- Status: Active
- Time: 1990-
Biography
During the 1990s My Dying Bride were part of what was known as the doom/death "Big Three" with Paradise Lost and Anathema. Their music is characterised by romantic, sensual lyrics and an obsessive attention to atmospheric detail. Early demos were death metal in a traditional sense, but much slower than most, but this soon changed with the first album, with the addition of violins and keyboards. Turn Loose The Swans built on the same framework as the first album As The Flower Withers, utilising melodic as well as death vocals, and, unusually, lead violin on several tracks. Trinity is a compilation of four early EPs and 7" releases.
The highly experimental 34.788%...Complete was widely regarded as an embarrassing detour, and lyrically, musically and stylistically is completely unlike any of the band's other work. The Light At The End Of The World represented a return to the My Dying Bride of old, but was lambasted by some critics as a complacent "treading water". My Dying Bride entered something of a hiatus after this, releasing the two retrospective albums Meisterwerk 1 and Meisterwerk 2, collections of rarities and demos, with some tracks from earlier albums. Hence producing albums that are lying halfway between best of albums and rarity compilations with no clear target audience. Completists of the band, while appreciating the early demos and rare tracks bemoaned the many album tracks included, while those new to the band acquired a peculiar, career-spanning introduction to the band which lacked coherence. It was not until 2001's The Dreadful Hours that My Dying Bride returned to their previous form. More innovative than The Light At The End Of The World, yet retaining all the key elements of the My Dying Bride sound, The Dreadful Hours is slightly darker, although a long way off the intense darkness of the first two demos. 2004's follow-up Songs Of Darkness, Words Of Light shows a band continuing to expand and refine their sound and purpose. A substantial increase in live performances (once an unheard of rarity) has lead to much greater recognition by a new generation of fans. Peaceville Records, the bands label, has recently released their entire back-catalogue in digi-pack format, with rare bonus tracks (demos, remixes, live performances etc.) added to each release.
Members
Current Members Aaron Stainthorpe - Vocals Shaun Steels - Drums Adrian Jackson - Bass Hamish Glencross - Guitar Andrew Craighan - Guitar Sarah Stanton - Keyboards
Former Members Martin Powell - Keyboards, Violins Calvin Robertshaw - Guitar Bill Law - Drums Rick Miah - Drums
Discography - (1990) Towards The Sinister (demo)
- (1991) God Is Alone (7")
- (1991) Symphonaire Infernus Eet Spera Empyrium (EP)
- (1992) As The Flower Withers
- (1992) The Thrash Of Naked Limbs
- (1993) Turn Loose The Swans
- (1994) I Am The Bloody Earth (EP)
- (1994) The Sexuality Of Bereavement (7")
- (1995) Trinity
- (1995) The Angel And The Dark River
- (1996) Like Gods Of The Sun
- (1996) The Angel And The Dark River / Live At The Dynamo
- (1998) 34.788%... Complete
- (1999) The Light At The End Of The World
- (2000) Meisterwerk 1
- (2001) Meisterwerk 2
- (2001) The Dreadful Hours
- (2002) The Voice Of The Wretched (live)
- (2004) Songs Of Darkness, Words Of Light
External links - Official My Dying Bride website
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