The Light At The End Of The World

Coming after the electronic/industrial experiments and shorter, more pop-like songs of 34.788%...Complete, The Light at the End of the World marks a return to the epic doom-death metal style of My Dying Bride's earlier days. Vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe's unmistakable morose crooning is still the focal point but, for the first time since 1994's Turn Loose the Swans, he has taken to alternating that voice with a death metal/black metal-type snarl, which can indeed sound pretty frightening. The violin and piano touches of the group's earlier days are absent, while the keyboards are only used sparingly (and tastefully), leaving most of the emphasis on the guitars. Thus, this album has a more stripped-down feel than much of the band's other work. The songs are generally slow and lengthy -- three of them cross the ten-minute mark -- but they flow smoothly as they move from one section or riff to the next, seldom hitting any lulls. Highlights include the soaring title track as well as the opener, "She Is the Dark," which does an especially good job of weaving together heavier death metal riffing with slower, more atmospheric sections. My Dying Bride has never been the easiest band to get into since its music is so relentlessly bitter and depressing but, in any case, this is a really strong album and one that should be considered a "comeback" among listeners who thought the band to be past its prime. ~ William York|