My Dying Bride
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My Dying Bride | |
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| File:Mydyingbride.jpg | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Halifax, West Yorkshire |
| Years active | 1990—present |
| Website | www.mydyingbride.org |
My Dying Bride are a British doom/death metal band formed in 1990.
Biography
In 1989, they were known as "Abiosis", then in 1990 they changed thair name and became known as My Dying Bride, following the release of one demo tape "Noxious Emanation".
During the early 1990s My Dying Bride were part of what was known as the death/doom Great Three with Paradise Lost and Anathema - all three bands hailing from England.
Their music is characterised by romantic, sensual lyrics and an obsessive attention to atmospheric detail. Early demos were death metal in a traditional sense, though much slower than most. However, their debut album As The Flower Withers saw the addition of violins and keyboards. Turn Loose the Swans built on that foundation, utilising clean as well as death grunts and, unusually, lead violin on several tracks. Trinity is a compilation of the three early EPs and a 7". The Angel and the Dark River saw the abandonment of death grunts altogether and added a more gothic feel to the songs. Like Gods of the Sun continiued in that direction.
The highly experimental 34.788%... Complete was widely regarded as an embarrassing detour, and — with the possible exception of 'Base Level Erotica' - it was musically and stylistically unlike any of the band's other works. The Light At The End Of The World represented a return to the My Dying Bride of old, but was lambasted by some critics as being a complacent exercise of treading water. My Dying Bride entered something of a hiatus after this, releasing two retrospective albums Meisterwerk 1 and Meisterwerk 2. These albums lay halfway between best of albums and rarity compilations and had no clear target audience. Completists of the band, while appreciating the early demos and rare tracks, bemoaned the many album tracks included, while those new to the band acquired a peculiar, career-spanning introduction which lacked coherence.
It was not until 2001's The Dreadful Hours that My Dying Bride managed to win round the bulk of their former fans. More innovative than The Light At The End Of The World, yet retaining all the key elements of the My Dying Bride sound, The Dreadful Hours was slightly darker, although a long way off the intense darkness of the first two demos. 2004's follow-up Songs Of Darkness, Words Of Light showed a band continuing to expand and refine their sound and purpose. A substantial increase in live performances - once an unheard of rarity - has lead to much greater recognition by a new generation of fans.
In 2004, the band's label, Peaceville, re-released their entire back-catalogue in digipak format, with rare bonus tracks (demos, remixes, live performances etc.) added to each release. The band's next release came in May 2005, when they released the fancifully-titled Anti-Diluvian Chronicles, a fully-fledged best of box set featuring three discs and thirty tracks.
My Dying Bride toured the UK in November of 2005, playing shows at London Astoria (18) and Bradford Rio (19). The band spent the winter of 2005/2006 writing material for a new studio album, and are currently recording their new album, which should be released late this year/early 2007. It is rumoured that the new album is called "A Line of Deathless Kings", but they're has been no confirmation of this from Peaceville, or the band themselves.
Members
Current members
- Aaron Stainthorpe - Vocals (1990-)
- Shaun Taylor-Steels - Drums (1998-)
- Adrian Jackson - Bass (1990-)
- Hamish Glencross - Guitar (1999-)
- Andrew Craighan - Guitar (1990-)
- Sarah Stanton - Keyboards (2002-)
Shaun suffered an ankle injury in late 2004, and has not yet recovered. John Bennett from The Prophecy has been filling in on drums, and will be appearing on the new album.
Former members
- Martin Powell - Keyboards, Violins (1992-1998)
- Yasmin Ahmed - Keyboards (1998-2002)
- Calvin Robertshaw - Guitar (1990-1999)
- Bill Law - Drums (1998-1999)
- Rick Miah - Drums(1990-1997)
Discography
Demos, singles and EPs
- (1989) Noxious Emanation (demo, recorded as Abiosis)
- (1990) Towards the Sinister (demo)
- (1991) God Is Alone (7")
- (1991) Symphonaire Infernus Et Spera Empyrium (EP)
- (1992) The Thrash Of Naked Limbs (EP)
- (1993) Unreleased Bitterness (7")
- (1994) I Am the Bloody Earth (EP)
- (1994) The Sexuality Of Bereavement (7")
Albums
- (1992) As the Flower Withers
- (1993) Turn Loose the Swans
- (1995) The Angel and the Dark River
- (1996) The Angel and the Dark River / Live at the Dynamo
- (1996) Like Gods of the Sun
- (1998) 34.788%... Complete
- (1999) The Light at the End of the World
- (2001) The Dreadful Hours
- (2004) Songs of Darkness, Words of Light
Compilations
- (1994) The Stories (Boxset of 3 EPs)
- (1995) Trinity (Compilation of 3 EPs)
- (2000) Meisterwerk 1 (compilation)
- (2001) Meisterwerk 2 (compilation)
- (2002) The Voice of the Wretched (live)
- (2005) Anti-Diluvian Chronicles (3CD, compilation)
Other releases
- (1997) For Darkest Eyes (VHS)
- (2002) For Darkest Eyes (DVD)
- (2005) Sinamorata (DVD)