Richard HolmesMy Dying Bride – Feel The Misery (Peaceville)
Genre: Doom/Gothic Metal
Like fellow Yorkshire gloomsters Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride have chosen 2015 to release one of the darkest, heaviest and most powerful albums in their career.
The veteran quintet may have spent a quarter of a century dealing in darkness, but here they sound as vital and inspired as the young whippersnappers who recorded The Angel and the Dark River and Turn Loose The Swans back in the early 1990s.
The gut wrenching emotion of tracks like And My Father Left Forever is only matched in its intensity by the potency of the band’s doom-laden riffery, with guitarist Andrew Craighan delivering a masterclass in mournfulness.
Also striking is singer Aaron Stainthorpe’s performance; his distinctive tone wraps each song in blood-stained velvet, with A Cold New Curse a particularly spellbinding example of his vocal talents.
And while the band’s older fans will be raising a glass of red wine in appreciation to this majestic opus, it’s accessible enough to attract a few new acolytes too. With the return of guitarist/songwriter Calvin Robertshaw after 15 years away, these are exciting times indeed for My Dying Bride – and Feel The Misery is a triumphant way to mark their 25th anniversary.
RUSHONROCK RATED: 8.5/10 Making Sense