|
By JEFF MAKI
Yorkshire, England's My Dying Bride has been one of the strongest purveyors of doom metal since the early ’90s. A Line of Deathless Kings marks their first album since 2004's Songs of Darkness, Words of Light. All the trademark subjects of death, loneliness and love are here in songs such as “To Remain Tombless,” “Deeper Down,” “I Cannot Be Loved” and “The Blood, the Wine, the Roses.”
As I am not a real fan of My Dying Bride, I cannot accurately compare this effort to past releases. I've heard the band on several occasions and my biggest complaint always has been about the vocals. My Dying Bride's material is meant to be sorrowful and depressing; I get it, but the slow, whiny delivery of Aaron Stainthorpe grows tiresome around the fourth song of the album, “And I Walk With Them.” The heavy droning guitars are the backbone to My Dying Bride's sound, chugging forth not unlike Black Sabbath or Type O Negative. Rarely does this formula change save for a few symphonic moments or keyboards. There is a death metal outburst that comes at the end of the recording that is excellent but all too short. Why couldn't more of this have been included on the album?
I'm not here to knock My Dying Bride as they seem to be masters at what they are trying to accomplish. But this music is depressing and not exciting enough for my taste. Fans of the band most likely will not have any problems with this release, as it seems the band has not changed its sound drastically, if at all, over all these years. Bottom line: This is a love/hate band and album.
|
