Blog Post // 2022-11-27

My Dying Bride Albums Ranked Worst to Best

I feel like I barely scratched the surface of what this band is all about, coming into this. I had heard a song from Ghost of Orion on my channel, and then one off of The Dreadful Hours which really had me wondering about this band. 

The thing that solidified my checking this band out more thoroughly was an interview I saw with Aaron, where he discussed how his life had taken such a turn that he wasn't even sure he would be able to be a part of Ghost of Orion. His daughter was very sick, and all he could think about was being there for her. It hit home with me, as I can remember times when I was so submerged in the land of sick and dying children that I found myself sitting by the side of my loved one, completely forgetting about myself.

I have to say that this was an eye-opening experience, and the content of this music was intense and not anything like what I expected. Quite peculiar, quite eccentric, very emotional... Quite sexual, at times. And I really realized the impact this band has had on some newer doom bands out there. No question the influence they have had, though they seem a lot more experimental compared to safer doom bands of today.

After immersing myself within in it, here it is: My Dying Bride's albums ranked from Worst to Best! I know, you may not agree.

Evinta (2011)

I like the simplicity of the album artwork, and the fact that it is only two colours.

The theme here feels creepy and highly emotional. I get a strong sense of disappointment and longing. It seems like one-sided love; in other words, the narrator hasn't received love in return for his admiration for a woman. It seems he has killed her, and somehow it is helping him to move on. Pretty dark...

This album is not for me. Operatic woman's vocals, choir vocals, keyboard, violin... sounds like a soundtrack. Aaron's voice is weirdly almost like something from the 60's rock scene when he does his partly-singing vocal. He does a lot of poetic talk, like he is literally reading a poem. Cringe-worthy, to me..

Length: 14 songs // 2 hours 9 minutes

Best Song: none

34.788%... Complete (1998)

This album artwork makes me think of this awful looking bug I have discovered in my house. I never knew it existed in Ontario. It is a tiny little scorpion. It also makes me think of genetic mutation, and not being happy with how something is naturally.

This mood seems all over the place, from being a victim, to being the aggressor, to sex, to fleeing. This isn't stable. I find it very odd. Once you hear the music, it seems so much cheezier and wrong.

Right off, it feels like something from the 90's; not what I have come to expect from this band. But the reality is, it is from the 90's. Maybe it's the distortion, even on his vocal? The layout of the songs? The sound clips felt so odd and distracting. The moany sound was a little uncomfortable. The guitar and drums are more present in this album than some, unlike the more instrumental feel with more varied instruments found in some of their other albums where they seem to get more lost. Though, sometimes the guitar felt very unappealing. I am having a hard time finding the doom in this. Some song names are just... Out to lunch (such as Base Level Erotica).

Length: 7 songs // 57 minutes

Best Song: none

The Barghest o' Whitby (2011)

I really like this artwork. You can feel how scary it would be, to be trying to get away from such a beast trained to hunt you down. The detail of his breath being seen in the coolness of night. 

The theme is of a journey, where you can barely make it, but you intention is to reach your destination. There is a great deal of determination here, but it is very questionable if you will make it.

This is a very eccentric song to me. It has an atmospheric quality, at times. It doesn't feel like you are in danger and running for your life. There are moments where music is almost at a complete stop. My least favourite part was about 3/4 of the way through, when it was losing my attention. The second guitar in the last portion sounds like someone started playing a note, and then realizes it is wrong and changed it in the middle of playing it. Very unconfident sounding. I like the added tension in the vocal. The feedback right after just felt like a filler, like the goal was just to make sure the song was long. I like how it picked up at the very end.

Length: 1 song // 27 minutes

Best Song: The Barghest o' Whitby

The Light at the End of the World (1999)

This album artwork makes me think there is a need to communicate something to someone, as there is writing in the background. The stones to the left look like they might be just stones, or maybe they are a beings set of wings. They remind me of a torch because they are lit up. The circular part makes me think of a compass.

The mood here is of lamenting for the loss of a lover. It feels very sexual, at times. It seem the woman you lost has been lost to someone else's hand, and you want vengeance. You are now willing to die to be with her. Makes me think of mythology where Orpheus went to Hades to get his wife, but he had to stay.

I like the moments that feel death metal oriented. Not too far into most of the songs he uses his whiny singing/talking voice. Some of the really slow songs felt like they played the off-key notes along with off-key vocals. Made for an odd album.

Length: 9 songs // 1 hour 11 minutes

Best Songs: She is the Dark, The Fever Sea

Like Gods of the Sun (1996)

This album artwork feels almost like a page in a magazine. Pretty generic. Doesn't tell me too much. I suppose if I were that butterfly, all that light might be confusing.

This feels like being with a woman sexually is incredibly important here, and there is a sense of lack of control. And of course, she is lost somewhere.

Though this "romantic talk" is not my thing, some of the songs seem to feature the guitar more than in other albums. The layering of the vocals also makes it feel more full. The violin parts have more cohesion. The keyboard/organ stands out. The vocal sounds pretty desperate at times, and I find it gross, in combination with the subject matter.

Length: 9 songs // 54 minutes

Best Songs: Grace Unhearing, Here in the Throat

Songs of Darkness, Words of Light (2004)

Again, with this title, this wasn't what I was expecting for the artwork. This being looks a lot more upset than I expected, and she seems to be disintegrating; she had to have endured a lot of injury. Why is she in the bush?

It really feels like putting a woman up on a pedestal here, for her beauty and ability to seduce. But it feels like there is desperation, even to death, whether it is killing her or being devoured by her. This desire for this lover seems to reign. Like flies to a light. I find it to be an odd theme.

The pace of this album seems slower and repetitive, with lots of two- or three-note picking. Lots of use of talky vocal, lots of organ.

This album made me realize who Aaron's voice reminds me of: the snake in Jungle Book, when he sings and tries to put Mowgli into a trance. I like when he uses it in the more singing way, in small bits, but the talk-singing is awkward. Of course, I like the growl. I have come to get used to it, and find it can fit, at times. It is definitely unique. This album has a combination of noises in the background and quiet moments, with faster, more instrument-oriented moments.

Length: 8 songs // 59 minutes

Best Songs: The Blue Lotus, And My Fury Stands Ready

Feel The Misery (2015)

This album artwork looks like stained glass, maybe of Mary, a deity, or a figure from history. The unexpected part is the contrast between her and the people around her, who seem to be unable to escape.

The theme feels unable to commit, unable to believe, to fully love. Nothing is embraced fully.

Some cohesion and flow, especially near the start of this album. The heavy songs are my favourite. Some good riffs. Some songs wander too much and lose me.

Length: 8 songs // 1 hour 3 minutes

Best Songs: To Shiver in Empty Halls, Within a Sleeping Forest

A Line of Deathless Kings (2006)

This album artwork seems to scream determination, since these warriors or kings are still going, though they seem to be only spine and head.

The mood of desperation and desire for a lover is clear, but there is a sense that things are not going to go right, and there will be death and destruction resulting. Like you are willing to do anything to get what you want.

The music seems like more straightforward doom, not wandering and lost. The music is solid. but combine the vocal and I feel like it has potential to be so much better than what it is. Not a tonne of violin, seems more bare-bones. Weirdly, I find the way the vocal is laid out, especially in The Raven Wings, reminds me of Woods of Ypres. But that is short-lived, as most songs have the awkwardly laid out talk/sing vocal. Though I think I could put this on and consider it easy listening, it doesn't seem as intriguing as some of their other albums. It is more predictable, which can be good, in the right moment.

Length: 9 songs // 1 hour 1 minute

Best Songs: To Remain Tombless

A Map of All Our Failures (2012)

This artwork is incredibly stark. There isn't much to this room, and what is there is falling apart, such as the wall. This woman doesn't even have a blanket to keep her warm, other than the sheet over her head. It signifies to me that she is so dismayed that she wants to hide, even from herself.

The theme is very much like the artwork: desolate, lonely, abandoned, untrusting.

I suppose there is somewhat of a comfort level here with this one, because it reminds me of doom from today mixed with the violin that gives it an eerie feeling and stands out. The singing seems more melodic than in some of their albums at times, and surprised me. Many songs stayed in that slower pace, though some had some nice contrast in both vocals and pace.

Length: 8 songs // 1 hour 4 minutes

Best Songs: Kneel T'ill Doomsday, The Poorest Waltz

The Angel and the Dark River (1995)

This album artwork feels kind of boring, and makes me think of sitting and having a romantic dinner. It feels intimate. Certainly not the picture I was making in my own head with this title.

This album has a sense of fear and desperation. It seems death is near, and it seems maybe you feel misunderstood as you leave this world.

A good mixture of light touches with more crashing elements, which keeps my attention. This surprises me that this album was one of their earlier ones, because of the flowy nature of the layout of the entire album. The violin, piano, and organ feel like they fit nicely. Some of these song names, though. The Sexuality of Bereavement?! Just wow...

Length: 6 songs // 53 minutes

Best Songs: Black Voyage, A Sea to Suffer In

For Lies I Sire (2009)

This album artwork fits with the name of the band. Seems like a death scene where a couple died together. The strange thing is they don't seem to be together, but seem to have morphed into a combination of each other, and one is flesh and the other is sculpture.

The theme is that of death, and having to leave your lover. Grief and loss.

This album feels well put together. I could tell it was going to keep my attention. I like many songs from it. It feels like it is easy to listen to, but it definitely isn't one of their more experimental ones. I like the growly talking used on this album. The keyboard stands out on this one.

Length: 9 songs // 60 minutes

Best Song: Fall WIth Me

The Ghost of Orion (2020)

This woman in the artwork looks like she wants to be left alone; she is going through something difficult.

The message does seem to be that of loss, loneliness, suffering.

I was caught off guard by the melodic singing. It also transitioned well between vocal styles. The instruments feel more cohesive and less disjointed than other albums. Feels almost like a different band. I guess there is a maturity about it. A few songs felt like just fillers. I actually heard that this album was hard for Aaron because he was with his daughter, and didn't know if he could be a part of it. He also felt a push for improvement. The rest of the band started making the album, and he joined in at a later date. There does seem to be some layering on his vocals that feels harmonized. Obviously, if I was going on pure emotion, No More Tears would win out, as it is so deeply rooted in the pain that Aaron had been experiencing, seeing his daughter suffer and fight through illness. It was the song I first heard by them. It felt so tame and mellow, and I didn't know the amount of emotion that had been put into it.

Length: 8 songs // 56 minutes

Best Songs: Your Broken Shore, To Outlive the Gods

As the Flower Withers (1992)

This album artwork feels like there is so much more going on here than just a flower withering. The mask with the flowers coming out the top, the nakedness. A mixture of ugliness and beauty. What is that hanging down on this woman's chest? I feel like the wooden and black and white aspects make this feel like it is old. Like we are looking back on moments.

Seems like some kind of conflict from within, and a deep desire for pleasure. 

There is an intensity and drama here, almost like watching a movie. I like the pace overall, and the deep death metal growling vocal. You can really feel the death metal influence, overall. The softer violin parts work. I like this album! Though the lyrics are pretty tasteless and strange.

Length: 6 songs // 44 minutes

Best Songs:  The Bitterness and The Bereavement, Vast Choirs

Turn Loose the Swans (1993)

The art is almost blurry and seems to take some looking to figure out what it is. I don't actually know what it is, but it makes me think of a fancy cathedral, viewing it from the water as you float by.

The theme seems to be one of needing to be helped, rescued, being in a situation that needs to change.

The keyboard and violin are pertinent parts of this album. This album feels heavier than many of their other albums. The talking parts are kinda chilling, but fit. This has a uniqueness to it. I find the lyrics to be uncomfortable and beyond creepy, though I know a lot of people never even pay attention to them. After hearing the album, I picture a man holding a lifeless woman in his arms that he killed inside a cathedral (not my favourite thing to picture).

Length: 7 songs // 58 minutes

Best Songs: Turn Loose the Swans, The Crown of Sympathy

The Dreadful Hours (2001)

At first, this art made me think this was two parts leaving one body, but then I thought, no, it seems to be two parts at odds with each other. They seem to be in deep opposition and conflict. The reds add to the feeling of unease.

There seems to be a sense of fear here, that you will be overtaken by emotion. Makes me think of the unrealistic worry I have, that if I were to cry, I would never be able to stop; I would be overtaken by sadness itself.

I find this to be very interesting. It keeps my attention and makes me feel like the band is really going through some emotional turmoil. Very atmospheric and experimental. There are lots of sounds mixed in here with the instruments. The guitar is prominent, and the pace seems to always vary and doesn't stay stale.

Length: 8 songs // 1 hour 11 minutes

Best Songs: The Dreadful Hours, The Raven and the Rose, The Return to the Beautiful