Title: The Angel and the Dark River Artist: My Dying Bride Label: Peaceville Release Date: 1995 Rating: 5 Skulls
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Martyr's Review:
To me Angel and the Dark River is a classic due to its seamless blend of desolation and beauty. Not only was it the first My Dying Bride album I acquired but it was also the first doom band I came across. I was immediately intrigued by this dark and brooding style of music. Life wasn't amusing me very much at the time, so this was definitely a good time to come across such an album.

One thing that I love about this album is how stark emotion is portrayed so effortlessly through music. The riff that begins it all on "The Cry of Mankind" is a simple yet dramatic six note succession that sets the tempo for what is to follow. Piano keys lightly accompany a more harsh guitar riff that accentuates Aaron's droning vocals. The song ends with a decrescendo into a dank underworld of sounds, a choral arrangement whispers faintly in the background. Hearing this for the first time was quite shocking, I was used to much heavier, aggressive music and this just blew me away with its dismal intentions. My favorite track on the album would have to be "A Sea to Suffer In." It paints a picture of dramatic apathy, all the details lay within each carefully orchestrated note, whether it be drawn out slow or edgy and intense. There is something about the production of this album that always catches me. It may partially be due to the simplistic and resonant drums that solemnly give way to the emptiness portrayed. It could even be the carefully picked strings that quietly buzz and ring out painfully. My Dying Bride portrays sorrow exquisitely throughout Angel and the Dark River and definitely sets themselves apart from other metal bands of their time. Pair Aaron's mournful cries with a soulful violinist and the simplest shrouds of guitar riffs, and you have a timeless piece never to be mimicked. I cannot begin to recall all of the time I've spent revisiting this disc, but every time I hear Angel And The Dark River it strikes the same chord in my heart. This is just a brief and very personal view of what the album is all about, I'll leave the rest of the enigma for you to discover yourself.

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