Doom metal legends and pioneers My Dying Bride present their fourteenth album, “A Mortal Binding” via Nuclear Blast. In this album, we delve into deep waters immediately, with the atmosphere being heavy, yet melodic. It takes us on a chilling journey, with clean and growl vocals being mixed throughout, beautifully slow guitars and a cut throat violin composition. The British band has long impressed us with their ability to create something so elegant yet terrifying at the same time and that is something that shines through on this record. The guitars are bloodthirsty and slow, however, the vocals give a gothic edge to the mix, all while putting you in a nightmare-like state. The visuals are something that I definitely want to comment on, because I believe they are as much part of the ensemble as the instrumentals are. A sharp blue color is present all throughout the video clips, really rubbing the feeling of desperation and sadness in. I must admit that, although a bit of a different approach from their previous albums, this work really captures My Dying Bride’s true essence and is definitely a very good addition to the band’s discography. Their music is also extremely clever and the use of tricks and little changes really solidifies the musical expertise of the members. I must say that I was very pleasantly surprised with this album and the emotions it manages to convey.
♦ 8/10
Christina X
