The Angel and the Dark River

The Angel and the Dark River

Track Listings

1. Cry of Mankind

2. From Darkest Skies

3. Black Voyage

4. Sea to Suffer In

5. Two Winters Only

6. Your Shameful Heaven

The Angel and the Dark River,My Dying Bride,Fierce Records,Death Metal/Black Metal,Doom Metal,Goth Metal,Heavy Metal,Pop,Rock

Average customer rating:

Epic Melodrama

Only 5 reviews? WTF?!

The Angel & the Dark River

Making Opeth look pop.

I was a fan and this one is their best (from non-metal fan)

The Angel and the Dark River
My Dying Bride
Manufacturer: Peaceville UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Goth | Goth & Industrial | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Turn Loose the Swans

The Light at the End of the World

Like Gods Of The Sun

The Dreadful Hours

As the Flower Withers

ASIN: B00009027B
Release Date: 2003-05-05

Tracks:

Cry of Mankind
From Darkest Skies
Black Voyage
Sea to Suffer In
Two Winters Only
Your Shameful Heaven
Sexuality of Bereavement [*]
Your River [Live][*]
Sea to Suffer In [Live][*]
Forever People [Live][*]

Album Description

Remastered reissue of the bands third full-length originally released in 1995, includes 4 bonus tracks 'The Sexuality of Bereavement' and 3 tracks live at Dynamo '95, 'Your River', 'A Sea to Suffer In' & 'The Forever People'. Digipak. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

Epic Melodrama.......2006-08-16

This is My Dying Bride's masterwork. From beginning to end, the power and melodrama is perfectly evident, and even displays shades of the epic sense they derive as fans of Dead Can Dance. His voice is not as assured as it is with later releases, but the emotion and despair is palpable. This is in my top ten in ANY genre. Some have complained about the guitar sound in the production, but, trust me, you get over it by the second track. If you don't own it, buy it, and find out what all the cool chaps on your block are talking about.

Only 5 reviews? WTF?!.......2005-01-13

It irks me to know that groups like Matchbox 20 and Linkin Park can sell millions of albums for putting out tripe while much better bands like MDB get no press. I have recently developed a taste for doom metal, and this album is probably the genre's flagship record. I never thought violins would meld together so well with Black Sabbath-style riffing, but I was pleasantly surprised. The vocals take some getting used to, but they fit the music quite well. This by no means the most technical music out there, but MDB give meticulous detail to mood and atmospherics. If you like your music black, get this.

THE REPORT CARD:

The Cry of Mankind: B (first half is fantastic, the second half is just bizarre)
From Darkest Skies: A (ooh, this one is sure to take the smile off your face)
Black Voyage: A (epic yet bleak)
A Sea to Suffer In: B+ (Aaron ventures into a higher vocal register here)
Two Winters Only: A (instrumentally, this sounds like Opeth...a lot)
Your Shameful Heaven: A- (this song is fast, though still not comparable to what Metallica was doing in the 80s)

The Angel & the Dark River.......2004-09-07

First of all, I must say I love the title. Second, the music, as with most of My Dying Bride's work, is phenomenal. Even though I've always felt that Aaron Stainthorpe was the bane of MDB, he can't destroy their masterful works. The opening track, "The Cry of Mankind," is one of my favorite MDB songs ever. The only complaint I have with this album is the live tracks. They were a nice addition, but they don't sound quite that good. Anyway, I recommend The Angel and the Dark River to any fan of good dark metal.

Making Opeth look pop........2004-03-26

~This is thee modern Doom metal album to own as far as I'm concerned. The opener The Cry of Mankind is one of the most beautiful compositions I've ever heard (in metal or otherwise). The piano and gutiar melodies blend into an etherial abiance that the band had never achieved before. After I heard this song, I knew that their last album Turn Loose the Swans was no fluke. And while the end of the song is a cacophony of the sounds including that of a seashore, a woman gently whispering "Hello." and a chorus of voices pushing the first track into double digit time... the actual meat of the song is heavy yet magnificent enough to even make Enya cry.

~And while the other songs brood about in the direction Swans was taking (gutteral guitar riffs seamlessly blended with violin piano and keyboard accompanyments making the listener wonder why the keyman Martin would join the cheesy Cradle of Filth instead) they are far from filler. This might in fact be the last My Dying Bride album to have lyrics that don't retread into old territory or otherwise sound forced. The Death metal vocals are absent, but weren't a neccesity to their sound at the time. Most obvious on display in Two Winters Only, which could almost be mistakenly called Doom metal's answer to a power ballad. With each note it is obvious that time was taken in recording this album. But perhaps patience is necesary for the average listener.

~The final track Your Shameful Heaven (along with Cry) displays the band's willingness to experiment with more straight-forward song structures. Yet it is far heavier than any other track on the album, with a midpaced almost thrash-like appeal. And it makes a nice sandwich of the original studio recorded material.

~This newly remastered edition seems to include the Live at the Dynamo mini disc. Which was a brilliant idea, yet I notice that one of the tracks is missing, (Your Shameful Heaven I believe). This is unfortunate since the album includes The Sexuality of Bereavement, which could have been sacrificed for the missing track due to it's original and remastered appearance on the Trinity album.

~Still I give the album 5 stars for it's original content. Looking back many might wonder why the band hasn't truly evolved from the sound they established on this and Turn Loose the Swans, (with the exception of the experiental but not unlikable 34.788% Complete)? Perhaps there is no perfect answer, not every band can get better plus evolve with each album like Death did. But then I'm not so sure that My Dying Bride need to.

~I highly recommend this to any Doom fan (and maybe even the goth interested, although that's an inappropriate title here). Also I think thrash, speed, death and black could learn something from My Dying Bride. This an an excellent album to start with, and this album in particular is completely on the opposite end of the spectrum from more upbeat bands like In Flames or Iced Earth. the lyrics are very downtrodden and ready to take you to a level of sadness you may not even know existeted. At their shows more often than moshing you'll hear audience applause instead. But make no mistake, the band can tear up the heaviest tunes with the best of them. And you needn't worry about them treading into blues, country or... cowpunk as I call the last album Metallica.

I was a fan and this one is their best (from non-metal fan).......2004-03-03

I lost this one a few years ago & I just wanted to have this feeling again' so I purchase it again !!! 2track is the best
the doom era has pat away most of the bands became alternative rock bands I see it as a good thing !! enjoy!

All My Heart: Deborah Voigt Sings American Songs

Average customer rating:

Mixed results
Like driving a Ferrari in a school zone.
Stellar Soprano Applies Her Considerable Talent to a Lightning-Quick, All-American Repertoire
May have a heart but what good is it if the artistic results are a void?
Great new context for Voigt

All My Heart: Deborah Voigt Sings American Songs

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Obsessions (Wagner & Strauss: Arias and Scenes)
Sacred Songs
Cecilia Bartoli ~ Opera Proibita (Handel · Scarlatti · Caldara) / Les Musiciens du Louvre · Minkowski
Plácido Domingo & Deborah Voigt - Wagner Love Duets ~ Tristan und Isolde, Siegfried
My Name is Barbara

ASIN: B000AQACM0
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

The Side Show
Two Little Flowers
Down East
The Circus Band
Berceuse
At The River
The Children's Hour
Piccola Serenata
Greeting
So Pretty
In The Dark Pine-Wood
The Ivy-Wife
The Cloak, The Boat, And The Shoes
I Am In Need Of Music
To The Virgins To Make Much Of Time
This Heart That Flutters
Darkling, I Listen
Bright Cap And Streamers
The Half-Ring Moon
Pierrot
Cleopatra To The Asp
Evening Song
Ah, Love, But A Day
I Send My Heart Up To Thee
The Year's At The Spring

Amazon.com

This collection of American songs spanning 150 years shows Deborah Voigt, one of the world's leading sopranos, in a new light. She successfully achieves the transition from the larger-than-life operatic stage to the intimate world of song, especially in the more outgoing, dramatic pieces. Voigt enters into each composer's style with complete empathy. Charles Ives was an irrepressible maverick and a stylistic chameleon. Voigt captures the songs' hymn-like simplicity and irreverent rambunctiousness, though her voice is a bit too heavy for them. Leonard Bernstein's jazzy irony also needs more lightness, but the slow love songs are done beautifully. Voigt really comes into her own in Charles Griffes's lush impressionism, evoking the sultriness of Cleopatra and the rhythms of a Spanish dance, and Amy Beach's unabashed effusive romanticism. Composer Ben Moore is a child of our own time, born in 1960. He moves between many styles with natural ease. Set to great English and American poetry, some of his songs were written for Voigt, and she sings them to perfection. The splendid pianist Brian Zeger provides both leadership and support. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Mixed results.......2006-02-22

This is an interesting collection of American songs, but I don't feel that Ms Voigt sold these selections to me. She still sounds like an opera singer trying to squeeze a very powerful and large voice into smaller setting for these songs, with mixed success. She is much, much better than many of her fellow sopranos that tried such repertoire, but I feel that she only gets it right in Amy Beach and Griffes songs. And even there, she does not have a sound that would make every song recital fan happy.
And what's with the title of this album? I think she is a classy artist and deserves better than such silly title, her label probably came up with that.
Nice try overall, but I hope Ms Voigt will do more Strauss and Wagner from now on, not more songs like these.

Like driving a Ferrari in a school zone........2006-02-02

Like a lot of big operatic voices, Voigt is hard to capture on CD; her recordings of Wagner and Strauss excerpts are good, but they can't convey the experience of hearing her live in an opera house. And singing with only piano accompaniment, as here, she simply can't use most of the power in her voice. As sensitive as her performances are I can't help feeling that she's having to hold back. For American song sung with more delicacy and grace I would suggest Barbara Bonney or Dawn Upshaw (I can't agree with previous reviewers' suggestion of Cheryl Studer's Barber, though Hampson is wonderful on that set).

Stellar Soprano Applies Her Considerable Talent to a Lightning-Quick, All-American Repertoire.......2005-11-08

It's a shame that soprano Deborah Voigt hit her greatest notoriety last year for being fired by the Royal Opera House for being too fat for the title role of "Ariadne aux Naxos" by Richard Strauss. She subsequently lost eighty pounds but luckily none of her vocal prowess as can be heard to great effect on this intriguing collection of American songs, 25 in all and averaging a little over two minutes each. It would have seemed like a mismatch to apply her powerful voice - famous for her big Wagnerian roles - to sometimes delicate tunes. Voigt, however, confounds expectations with a surprisingly nuanced performance that showcases her interpretative skills on a diverse set of musical styles.

Similar to what countertenor David Daniels did with his 2003 disc with guitarist Craig Ogden, "A Quiet Thing", Voigt and pianist Brian Zeger have created a wide-ranging lyrical repertoire that encompasses significant vocal demands while remaining intimate in setting. In fact, both Daniels and Voigt cover Leonard Bernstein's anti-war lullaby, "So Pretty", with haunting aplomb. She also manages to dance effectively over the "Da-ga-da-ga-dums" of Bernstein's challenging "Piccola serenata". Voigt does wonders with the opening Charles Ives selections by not overplaying the innate sentiment of the tunes, in particular, soaring with the highly dramatic "The Children's Hour" by Longfellow and even covering the churchy warhorse, "At the River", with conviction.

There are eight highly individualistic songs by Ben Moore that stretch Voigt with bountiful results. The standouts of the Moore set are the English sea chantey-like "The Ivy-Wife" by Thomas Hardy, the lushly romantic "I Am in Need of Music" by Elizabeth Bishop; the sweeping "Darkling, I Listen" by John Keats; and the discordant waltz, "Bright Cap and Streamers", by James Joyce. For me, the highpoints of the recording are the last two sets by Charles Tomlinson Griffes and Amy Beach, both of whom tap impressively into Voigt's natural theatricality proven especially by her performances of Griffes's lush "Cleopatra to the Asp" and Bishop's rolling "I Send My Heart Up to Thee".

The one shortcoming of the recording overall is that the briefness of the songs does not really capitalize on Voigt's impressive dramatic capabilities in showcasing changes in characters she would have been allowed in her opera roles. For all the limitations it represents, this is a genuine recital album, and truly transcendent moments are fleeting at best especially given the variety of moods that need to be expressed in lightning-flash strokes. However, taken for the genre it represents, this is a stellar recording to appreciate a singer who is able to do more than Wagner and lose weight.

May have a heart but what good is it if the artistic results are a void?.......2005-10-31

The header says it all. Thumbs down all the way. Get instead the Samuel Barber double set with Cheryl Studer and Thomas Hampson if you wish to experience true heartrending Americana. As another reviewer put it, you get no gimmicks and no camp from these two distinguished artists.

Great new context for Voigt.......2005-09-30

It is great to hear Voigt in an American lieder recital. She is a top vocalist in her vocal prime. I think this is a lovely disc, and it really takes off especially with the songs of Ben Moore who has written many works just for Voigt. She tones down the volume of her sound and reins in the dramatic aspect of her soprano to give these songs a proper context and remains in service of them throughout the recital. Give this one a try! EMI - Release her Marshallin from Der Rosenkavalier, I think it would be wonderful. I know she just took on that role this summer.

Average customer rating:

Makes me want to throw up
Majestic sorrowful DOOM
Simply the best!
A TRIUMPH!!!
A Staple of the Doom/Goth Metal Style

The Angel and the Dark River
My Dying Bride
Manufacturer: Fierce Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Goth | Goth & Industrial | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Turn Loose the Swans
Like Gods of the Sun
34.788%...Complete
Tales From the Thousand Lakes
Blood Fire Death

ASIN: B000003H2Q
Release Date: 1996-02-06

Tracks:

The Cry Of Mankind
From Darkest Skies
Black Voyage
A Sea To Suffer In
Two Winters Only
Your Shameful Heaven

Customer Reviews:

Makes me want to throw up.......2006-04-27

I cant stand this album. I purchased this album as an import when it was first released and I was very, very disapointed. After such an amazing album like Turn Loose The Swans, they release this crap.

WHERE THE HELL ARE THE DEATH METAL VOCALS ?? They are gone, all gone. Instead we are presented with whiny vocals that totally destroy the music. The music is pretty good, but I just cant get past the horrid vocals. One of the best things about Turn Loose The Swans was the interplay between clean vocals and death-metal vocals. Thats all gone and it has been replaced by whining.

Majestic sorrowful DOOM.......2004-01-28

This is one of those rare albums that sucks you inside its sound texture and holds you there. It makes you turn on the Repeat mode on your CD-player and never stop the music. This is a work of genious, no doubt.

By 1995 My Dying Bride have already established themselves as one of the titans of British doom-metal along with such notable bands as Paradise Lost and Anathema. Their previous offering, "Turn Loose the Swans", was a breakthrough album, one of the best in the genre. And "The Angel and the Dark River" successfully keeps up this tradition of highest quality from MDB.

I'd say that this record is the second best in MDB's discography so far. It further develops the style first shown up on "Turn Loose the Swans", and takes it to the level of perfection. One biggest change is that Aaron Stainthorpe never uses his usual growl on this album. Instead, he sings with clear voice in a very gloomy, depressed, sorrowful moan. He pictures the emotions of helplessness and loss excellently. His vocals is one of the highlights of this album. The lyrics are on par with vocal style, telling tales of lost hope, despair and dying.

Another highlight is the album's incredible melodism. This record is built on interwoven melodic passages from dual guitars and violin, played by Martin Powell. I don't know words to describe this experience. The guitar plays slow melodic riff, and then violin comes in, with unearthly melody, weeping, dying of lost hope. In some parts of the album this experience is further enhanced by piano or synthesized organ background.

I can't but mention the drumming here. This is a template for what means to be a great doom-metal drummer. Very creative fills and patterns, though never getting in the way of emotional experience of music.

The general sound of this album is heavy crushing depression. It's skillfully interchanged with softer, more ballad-like or more ambient parts, so the listener never feels bored. This record is perfect in all aspects, and I fail to see the reason for not liking it. I'd say this is a MUST-HAVE record for anyone interested in emotionally deep music. The strength of experience delivered by "The Angel and the Dark River" is hard to surpass.

P.S. Future showed, that Martin Powell was a crucial element for My Dying Bride's majesty. When he left, it took the band full 5 years to make a record, that is close in quality to this one. I'm talking about "The Dreadful Hour". And still my hopes are high for the upcoming new offering from the depressed Britts.

Simply the best!.......2004-01-15

Most of My Dying Bride's material is very, very good. However, it is hard for me to get in to anything they have done since this album. The reason-this album is so good. I haven't heard any of their earlier albums, but what I have heard of the albums after this (I do own two of them) is a band trying to fit in with their peers. On this album, however, they seemed to be playing from the soul. Call it the `Dark Side of the Moon` of gothic metal and you would probably not be far off. Furthermore, I don't mind death metal vocals. After hearing this album, however, it just pisses me off that he used them in other albums. His voice is a perfect mixture of gloom and schizophrenia, and it mixes perfectly with the violins and pianos that glide beautifully over the crunching guitar licks. For anyone who loves dark, heavy music, this is an album you must have. One warning though; the music is very creative and well written, but the tracks can get pretty long. It may seem to drag at first, but give it time. Once you see the whole picture, it will grow on you untill it becomes one of your favorite metal albums.

A TRIUMPH!!!.......2003-07-16

This is simply My Dying Bride's finest hour. Their other albums have many magnificent moments, but this album carries the greatness through to the very end. If I were to recommend a place for newcomers to start this would be it. The very first track, "The Cry of Mankind," takes the listener on a haunting journey of cold sadness. That may sound depressing, but My Dying Bride at its best is deeply emotional and musically transcendant. Excuse me while I wax rhapsodic, but this album deserves praise. "The Angel and the Dark River" is a triumph!!!

A Staple of the Doom/Goth Metal Style.......2003-04-10

When I first found out about My Dying Bride I was immeadiatly intreagued. The thought of a violinest in a metal band realy got my attention. The only thing remotly similar to "violin metal" that I had heard was some of King Crimson's mid 70's material which is absolutly amazing. Anyways I had to hear this band. So I went out and picked up "The Angel & the Dark River". I was blown away to say the least. The album was as close to perfect as any metal album I'd ever had the privledge of hearing before or sience.
My Dying Bride is made up of many enticing elements. First of all there are Aaron Stainthorpe's powerful vocals. Ranging from deep gothic vocals to whiny wailing moans (and going into the realms of death and black metal vocals on other albums) Aaron's vocals are able to meet any neccicary style needed for this album. His lyrics focus on the loss of faith, the loss of love and deep, dark, lust. Then theres Martin Powell's beutiful violin work. This is the X factor that brings the album from great to all time classic. He also plays some very haunting piano and keyboards. Then theres the unforgettable drumming of Rick Miah. No simple fills here, Rick fills the album with great drum fills and mad beats without ever overusing them (unlike his replacment Shaun Steels). Add in amazing riff after amazing riff and an indescrible atmosphere and you get "The Angel and the Dark River".
The album kicks off with "The Cry of Man Kind". With one riff repeated over and over for the entire song one might imagine that the song would wear out its welcome, but by covering it with doomy rhythems, classical piano and short guitar solos the first six minutes fly right by. Aaron's lyrics about Jesus looking down at the destroied Earth and regreting his sacrafice give the song an apocoliptic ambiance. The next six minutes contains a bunch of gothic sounds such as a choir, an old whispering woman, crickets and a... tugboat? This gives you some time to think back on what you've just heard. "From the Darkest Skies" is probably the best song here. Switching between sorowful violin, crunchy guitar riffs, and powerful organs, the song never stops twisting and turning from start to finish. Aaron's vocals are good enough to bring you to tears as he cries "I'll breathe in you, I'm a fool, just for you". Then theres the nine and a half minute epic "The Black Voyage". After a lenghthy violin led intro, the song moves along a doomy path until it hits the middle. At this point the music softens into a slow, dark, pulsing, funeral-doomish style as Aaron groans about entering hell. "A Sea to Suffer In" starts with some great gothic pianio before an unforgettable violins solo. At the 1:35 mark there is the best drum fill I have ever heard. Anyone who appricates drums must hear this masterful drumming. The rest of the song conatains an onslaught of great riffs and deep gothic vocals. This song competes with "From the Darkest Skies" for the title of best song on the album. The next song is a complete change. "Two Winters Only" is very ballaidesque. After a lenghthy classical guitar led verse the drums kick in the violin and metal into a dramatic chorus. After the second verse theres a real cool thirty second metal part and then the song ends with one more dramatic chorus. "Your Shameful Heaven" starts out with a lone violin playing a heartbreaking solo that is unforgetable. The rest of the song is a lustful conclusion to the album as Aaron snarles "The only real ache is between your legs". The song is dark and filt with spite.
Some versions of the album (though this one doesn't) contain a bonus track "The Sexuality of Beverment", which although a great song is not meant for this album. My Dying Bride did not choose to put this song on the album. The record company added it and to be quite honest, it just doesn't fit in. The songs at least three years older then the other material here and is therefore written in a very different style. Also the song contains death metal vocals, and although I adore Aaron's growls, they're not meant for "The Angel & the Dark River".
With "The Angel & the Dark River" My Dying Bride has created an album that will be look at as a staple of the goth/doom metal scene for a long time. The album is essentail for any fan of My Dying Bride, dark metal, or anyone who simply loves different and creative music.

The Angel and the Dark River/Live at the Dynamo '95

Average customer rating:

From Utter Loathing And Scorn....
Violins in a band bring out the best.
A Staple of the Doom/Goth Metal Style
the best slow goth,black metal album ever
Purity

The Angel and the Dark River/Live at the Dynamo '95
My Dying Bride
Manufacturer: Fierce Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Goth | Goth & Industrial | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music

Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Like Gods of the Sun

ASIN: B000003H2W
Release Date: 1996-05-28

Tracks:

The Cry Of Mankind
From Darkest Skies
Black Voyage
A Sea To Suffer In
Two Winters Only
Your Shameful Heaven
The Sexuality Of Bereavement

Tracks:

Your River
A Sea To Suffer In
Your Shameful Heaven
The Forever People

Album Description

Arguably the bands best record! This version, from Mayhem Records, contains a 2nd disc featuring 4 songs captured live - including 'Your River,' 'A Sea to Suffer In,' 'Your Shameful Heaven,' and fan favorite 'The Forever People'. Last remaining quantities on the this 2 CD version.

Customer Reviews:

From Utter Loathing And Scorn...........2005-09-11

....This masterpiece was somehow born. Angel And The Dark River is MDB 'clean' album, meaning there are no gruff vocals at all. (With the exception of the last track) But don't let this discourage you, the CD is absolutely brilliant! From The Cry of Mankind, A Sea To Suffer In and Your Shameful Heaven this CD offers no shortage of dark and moody songs begging for the darkest of hearts to come and embrace them. Yes I'm being dramatic but I'm NOT exaggerating, it's that good. The version released with bonus live disk is worth getting if you can find it (it's still easy enough) as it gives you a tatse of MDB live and full of emotion! If your a fan of My Dying Bride and you don't own this CD I ask you; Why the hell not! If you enjoy dark and extreamly depressing music then Angel And The Dark River is a must have for your collection. Five stars all the way!

Violins in a band bring out the best........2002-09-27

While violins in a dark/goth type band are nothing new (often dating back to the 1970's), if the band can integrate them with their sound - or better yet, build their sound around their violin - they will truly stand out as the best of the best. My personal first experience with violin in a band such as this is with Tristania. In this reviewer's opinion, this band is on a higher level to Tristania, in terms of their integration of the haunting sounds a violin can produce - though this album's sound is truly different than any of Tristania's.

The vocals are truly masterful, bringing the words to dance upon the darkest of minds in a deathly beautiful ballet of melody. As an artist who plays the violin himself, this album can not be rated higher. Buy it; you shall not be dissapointed.

A Staple of the Doom/Goth Metal Style.......2002-08-24

When I first found out about My Dying Bride I was immeadiatly intreagued. The thought of a violinest in a metal band realy got my attention. The only thing remotly similar to "violin metal" that I had heard was some of King Crimson's mid 70's material which is absolutly amazing. Anyways I had to hear this band. So I went out and picked up "The Angel & the Dark River". I was blown away to say the least. The album was as close to perfect as any metal album I'd ever had the privledge of hearing before or sience.
My Dying Bride is made up of many enticing elements. First of all there are Aaron Stainthorpe's powerful vocals. Ranging from deep gothic vocals to whiny wailing moans (and going into the realms of death and black metal vocals on other albums) Aaron's vocals are able to meet any neccicary style needed for this album. His lyrics focus on the loss of faith, the loss of love and deep, dark, lust. Then theres Martin Powell's beutiful violin work. This is the X factor that brings the album from great to all time classic. He also plays some very haunting piano and keyboards. Then theres the unforgettable drumming of Rick Miah. No simple fills here, Rick fills the album with great drum fills and mad beats without ever overusing them (unlike his replacment Shaun Steels). Add in amazing riff after amazing riff and an indescrible atmosphere and you get "The Angel and the Dark River".
The album kicks off with "The Cry of Man Kind". With one riff repeated over and over for the entire song one might imagine that the song would wear out its welcome, but by covering it with insane rhythems, classical piano and semi-guitar solos the first six minutes fly right by. Aaron's lyrics about Jesus looking down at the destroied Earth and regreting his sacrafice give the song an apocoliptic ambiance. The next six minutes contains a bunch of gothic sounds such as a choir, an old whispering woman, crickets and a... tugboat? This gives you some time to think back on what you've just heard. "From the Darkest Skies" is probably the best song here. Switching between sorowful violin, crunchy guitar riffs, and powerful organs, the song never stops twisting and turning from start to finish. Aaron's vocals are good enough to bring you to tears as he cries "I'll breathe in you, I'm a fool, just for you". Then theres the nine and a half minute epic "The Black Voyage". After a lenghthy violin led intro, the song moves along a doomy path until it hits the middle. At this point the music softens into a slow, dark, pulsing, funeral-doomish style as Aaron groans about entering hell. "A Sea to Suffer In" starts with some great gothic pianio before an unforgettable violins solo. At the 1:35 mark there is the best drum fill I have ever heard. Anyone who appricates drums must hear this masterful drumming. The rest of the song conatains an onslaught of great riffs and deep gothic vocals. This song competes with "From the Darkest Skies" for the title of best song on the album. The next song is a complete change. "Two Winters Only" is very ballaidesque. After a lenghthy classical guitar led verse the drums kick in the violin and metal into a dramatic chorus. After the second verse theres a real cool thirty second metal part and then the song ends with one more dramatic chorus. "Your Shameful Heaven" starts out with a lone violin playing a heartbreaking solo that is unforgetable. The rest of the song is a lustful conclusion to the album as Aaron snarles "The only real ache is between your legs". The song is dark and filt with spite.
Some versions of the album (such as this one) contain a bonus track "The Sexuality of Beverment", which although a great song is not meant for this album. My Dying Bride did not choose to put this song on the album. The record company added it and to be quite honest, it just doesn't fit in. The songs at least three years older then the other material here and is therefore written in a very different style. Also the song contains death metal vocals, and although I adore Aaron's growls, they're not meant for "The Angel & the Dark River". Some versions (again this one, for example) contain a short live album, which is pritty good, althogh the live album "The Voice of the Wreatched" is a more complete live disc (although it suffers from no actual violin, but thats another story...)
With "The Angel & the Dark River" My Dying Bride has created an album that will be look at as a staple of the goth/doom metal scene for a long time. The album is essentail for any fan of My Dying Bride, dark metal, or anyone who simply loves different and creative music.

the best slow goth,black metal album ever.......2001-10-19

if you like goth metal, and you don't have this cd, your missing out. the vocals, and music go greatly together,

Purity.......2001-10-18

This album contians some of the most beautifully produced aspects of sadness, and beauty. The music is quite different than any MDB album to date, as it is more subtle; less focuses on metal-oriented riffs and perhaps their most "doomy" one.
The atmosphere on this album means alot to me, and every note taken from this piece seems to be divine and bond to your emotions as much as music could do.
This is pure apocalyptic perfection, and I advice you to experience it, if you are worthy.

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Angel & Dark River / Live 2cd
My Dying Bride
Manufacturer: Phantom Sound & Vision
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B00000E1SZ
Release Date: 1996-11-21

Music Info:

Music Info

music info

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