Bradford’s ever-prolific purveyors of monstrous doom (11 albums since their inception in 1990), My Dying Bride may have meandered a little with ‘For Lies I Sire’, but 2012’s ‘A Map of All Our failures’ is widely regarded as being their best work to date and truly embraces the epic. This four-tracker, which clocks in at an impressive 27 minutes continues that trajectory. Of course, it’s not all about the length. No, you need to feel the weight, too. The title track unfurls slowly and deliberately, a graceful guitar line giving way to crushing power chords and a sweeping violin before the 9-minute ‘Var Gud Over Er’ powers in and growls while raising seven shades of hell. ‘A Pale Shroud of Longing’ combines megalithic density with haunting strings, Aaron Stainthorpe’s vocals brimming with emotion and touchingly human in the midst of a maelstrom of guitars. Finally, ‘Only Tears to Replace Her With’ is lovelorn and bleak. Put simply, ‘The Manuscript’ is a monumental work.
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My Dying Bride Online
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