Album Review

My Dying Bride – A Map Of All Our Failures

• 11th Oct 2012

I really didn’t expect to like My Dying Bride’s new album release too much. Gothic doom metal isn’t exactly my favourite music genre to be honest. But on giving it a good listen I was a little surprised to find that there’s a lot I enjoyed in here

At its core this is basically damned good, very dark, rock music. Every track sounds orchestrated to a plan, played within a framework of heavy guitar riffs and pounding drums, while the bass grumbles and a violin or keyboard occasionally adds a very different sound. Every massive riff has a purpose; every solo is part of the story. And the vocals are powerful and portentous throughout.

But don’t go expecting a cheery album. Guitarist Andrew Craighan described it as “a controlled demolition of all your hopes”, which sums the tone up pretty well. And don’t be fooled by the fact that there are only eight tracks here. None are under five minutes long and several clock in at close to nine. There is a good hour or so of music on the album.

Kneel till Doomsday sets the tone straight away. The two guitar sound is massively powerful and the vocals have an epic quality to them that fits perfectly. The pace speeds up in sections of the song creating a lively and atmospheric backing to the fine lyrical input. The Poorest Waltz features multi tracked vocals that add considerably to the overall depth of the music. It’s a great effect and it works really well along with some fine guitar work.

A Tapestry Scorned sees Aaron Stainthorpe alternate between passionate vocals, growling and menacing screams, and several spoken word parts that are every bit as dark and ominous. Shaun McGowan’s foreboding organ sound adds to the doom laden atmosphere of the dark tale. Like A Perpetual Funeral features some incendiary guitar work as an extended instrumental duel between Andrew Craighan and Hamish Glencross ends the track, finally dissolving into a feedback howl.

A Map Of All Our Failures again uses spoken word passages to good effect and Lena Abé’s bass is much more clearly identifiable here than in other tracks. When added to the keyboards it gives a rumbling undercurrent to the track. Hail Odysseus is a nine minute epic. There is simply no other way to describe the grand scale of both lyrics and music in this nine minute track. It’s immense in scope, a grand tapestry, and it doesn’t feel overlong in the slightest.

Within The Presence of Absence seems slower that most of the album, a bit one paced in fact. It’s not a bad track, just lacking a little of the dynamism that otherwise prevails. The closing Abandoned As Christ begins with a great guitar hook and a fine two minute instrumental section builds from there before the vocals come in. The guitars make this one, switching between brutal riffs and elaborate solos. It’s a great way to end the album.

A Map Of All Our Failures is an album that anyone who likes rock music should have a listen to. The vocals are terrific and the clean sound gives the individual instruments the chance to shine. It may not be the most upbeat album ever but don’t let that put you off. Give the excellent My Dying Bride the opportunity to convince you that Gothic doom metal is much more than screams and misery.