My Dying Bride

Vallenfyre – Splinters Review

By Steel Druhm on May 14, 2014 in 2014, Century Media, Death Metal, Doom Metal, English Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 17 comments

“We haven’t reviewed any Swedish retro death for a spell, so here’s a big chunk of it to fill our crust quota. But Vallenfyre isn’t your average Swedish retro death band, mind you. They hail from the U.K. and are a super group of sorts, helmed by Gregor Mackintosh, longtime guitarist for goth/doom troupe Paradise Lost. Joining him in these brootal endeavors is Hamish Hamilton Glencross of My Dying Bride and Adrian Erlandsson of At the Gates.” Quite the pedigree of death, eh? It’s all in the breeding.

Doom:VS – Earthless Review

By Steel Druhm on May 9, 2014 in 2014, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Solitude Productions, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 9 comments

“Doom:VS is a one man act with a pretty spotty record of productivity, but man, when they drop an album, it really drops hard! The brainchild of Johan Ericson (Draconian), Doom:VS released back to back gobstoppers of morose doom/death with 2006s Aeternum Vale and 2008s Dead Words Speak and both stand among the genre’s very best. Then, the band vanished from the mortal coil and seemed to be consigned to history. Without much warning, they’ve made a huge return with Earthless and now Johan is joined by Thomas Akim Gronbeak Jensen (Saturnus), who handles all the death roars.” Looking for something to really bring you down? Steel Druhm has just the pill for that.

Cradle of Filth – Total Fucking Darkness Review

By Grymm on May 6, 2014 in 2014, Black Metal, English Metal, Mordgrimm, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, Black Metal, Symphonic Metal, 2 comments

“Suffolk extreme metallers (and eternal underground whipping martyrs) Cradle of Filth, have given Mordgrimm the official go-ahead to release their infamous third demo, Total Fucking Darkness, to the masses over 20 years after its initial release, remastered with more tracks.” Grymm gets pulled underground into Total Fucking Darkness, will he make it out unscarred?

Pet Slimmers of the Year – Fragments of Uniforms Review

By Madam X on March 29, 2014 in 2014, Candlelight, English Metal, Non-Metal Metal Things, Not Metal, Post-Rock, Reviews, Post-Metal, 3 comments

“So the Process Church of the Final Judgement wasn’t really your thing? Don’t slit your wrists over it, cults aren’t for everybody. Candlelight Records recently took a walk on the wild side adding a band that doesn’t run with their usual black metal or even their melodic death metal circles. Their band name is absurd, meaningless and annoying to the point where Nothing actually may be the better option, and to say that it had me tearing my hair out in chunks is an understatement. Pet Slimmers of the Year… Have you tried to Google this? No dammit, I’m not putting my feline on a diet, round is a shape too!” Yep, that’s the worst band name of all time. But, is the music any good? Madam X has opinions.

Eye of Solitude – Canto III Review

By Grymm on November 17, 2013 in 2013, Doom Metal, English Metal, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, 8 comments

“Its been a long time since I’ve been impressed by a doom metal record. You would figure it would be a pretty easy thing to get the hang of, if you think about it: create an atmosphere of (circle one: sorrow, solitude, deep introspection) utilizing well-timed (female vocals, violin, acoustic guitar) passages before (crushing ruthlessly, lamenting sadly, turning loose some swans). Yet somehow, at best, recent doom releases have given me a feeling of “meh,” and at worst, eliciting some unintentional chuckles. Eye of Solitude have a few things going for them: they’re young (only been around since 2010), they’re UK-based (and they KNOW their doom metal over there), and they’re hungry. Canto III, their third album, not only has given me hope for the genre once more, but they also have a serious contender for a Best of 2013 record.” Grymm is notoriously difficult to impress when it comes to doom/death, but that’s exactly what Eye of Solitude did.

Cult of Erinyes – Blessed Extinction Review

By Grymm on October 11, 2013 in 2013, Belgian Metal, Black Metal, Code666 Records, Reviews, Black Metal, 5 comments

“Man, I do love me some Blut Aus Nord. Ever since their landmark 2003 album, The Work Which Transforms God, the rebellious French “trio” (are they actually a band?) set a new standard for uncomfortably cold, ridiculously unpredictable black metal, inspiring future robe-wearers of the world to put down their torches and pick up a copy of Streetcleaner on vinyl. One such band to follow in their grimy footsteps is Belgium’s Cult of Erinyes, who have returned with their second album (and fourth overall release since their inception in 2009), Blessed Extinction. Have these upstarts taken the tools given to them by Vindsval and company to usurp the throne from the French masters of the frozen arts?” Is any French throne really guarded all that well? I think not!

Lycus – Tempest Review

By Noctus on July 3, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, American Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, 13 comments

“Question: Where on earth is the good doom metal this year? No, seriously. The last few years have all been such strong years for doom and this year simply isn’t stepping up to the mark. With the new Moss album being the equivalent of someone taking a shit in the bong, and the new My Dying Bride being good but pretty passable, it’s pretty depressing to think that they’re the two most prominent releases this year…” Noctus wants some good doom and feels he hasn’t been getting his fair share in 2013. Can Lycus give him what he needs or will he continue to feel neglected?

My Dying Bride – The Manuscript Review

By Noctus on April 28, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, Death Metal, Doom Metal, English Metal, Peaceville, Rating, Releases, 3 comments

“You really have to hand it to My Dying Bride. This 23 year old band have stuck to their guns unlike any other band of their kin – not only by staying true to their death-doom roots without much in the way of deviation, but by their sheer amount of unwavering activity. Especially when you consider the other British death-doom pioneers of their ilk, both Anathema and Paradise Lost, going down different paths to musical pastures so far detached from their roots, you’d be forgiven for thinking they’re a completely different band than the gothic pessimists of they began life as. My Dying Bride, however, has had a core sound since their very first album and aside from minor experimentation here and there it’s remained very much the same.” While consistency is the hobogoblin of little minds, it seems to work for these UK doom-mongers. Noctus analyzes if consistency kills or thrills on their new EP.

Cathedral – The Last Spire Review

By Steel Druhm on April 17, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, Doom Metal, English Metal, Reviews, Rise Above Records, Doom Metal, 1 comment

“So this is the end of the road for Lee Dorrian’s long-running psychedelic doom experiment. Looking back on Cathedral’s career, they’ve certainly delivered some entertaining, diverse albums while helping make doom cool and interesting again. While I always favored their earlier, less trippy stuff like Forest of Equilibrium and The Ethereal Mirror, their subsequent releases always had something worth investigating. So how does the ringmaster choose to lower the final curtain on his Carnival Bizarre? By returning to the beginning and re-introducing us to the raw, crushing doom that put them on the map in the first place.” Please remove your hats and bow our heads as we mourn the passing of modern doom giants, Cathedral. Steel Druhm will provide the eulogy and you’re all welcome to join us afterward in the graveyard for refreshments.

Angry Metal Guy’s Unsigned Band Rodeo: Forlorn Path – Man’s Last Portrait

By Angry Metal Guy on April 17, 2013 in Angry Metal Guy's Unsigned Band Rodeo, Blog Posts, 0 comments

In our new monthly feature, which will show up here on the 15th of every month and run over the next few days, I (Angry Metal Guy) will select 5 bands at random (usually those who have followed my directions and have bandcamp accounts) to get blurbed by every member of the AMG staff. The idea is to do at least a bit of our part to point out that the metal underground is still an important part of the world of metal. While we simply don’t have the manpower to produce regular reviews of unsigned bands, this is my attempt at a minor mea culpa if nothing else. So enjoy Angry Metal Guy’s Unsigned Band Rodeo and our third entry for April 2013: Forlorn Path!