Album Reviews : My Dying Bride – The Barghest O’ Whitby

Having celebrated their longevity with the orchestral project that was “Evinta” earlier this year it was reasonable to expect that the next My Dying Bride release would see a return to their darker, heavier sound. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that this is exactly what has taken place with their latest release “The Barghest O’ Whitby”.

What might not have been expected is a song that was originally intended to be broken up into three parts has become one epic song with a hefty duration of over 27 minutes where the music changes with the flow of the narrative and glimpses of their past majesties abound.

Considering that their repertoire has always consisted of long songs from their first major release “Symphonaire Infernus Et Spera Empyrium”, an eleven minute song, it’s not like this is uncharted territory but it’s the sheer scope of the music that makes it different.

A song such as this obviously isn’t  something to put on as background music, there is far too much involved, as it works best with a degree of focus where the tale of the Barghest, “a supernatural entity hell bent on revenge” set on the Yorkshire moors, can envelop the listener.

Rather than try to describe the song in its entirety it is fair to say that the opening sounds of wind, thunder and rain sets the scene perfectly. Guitar and violin introduce a plaintive voice and what follows is an amalgam of their finest moments from the harsh aggression of “As The Flower Withers”, the gothic majesty of “Turn Loose The Swans” through to their most recent works.

If you couldn’t guess, this review is coming from someone who has been an avid supporter of My Dying Bride since he caught the video for the aforementioned “Symphonaire…” on Rage many years ago and loves doom in general. That aside, the composition of “The Barghest O’ Whitby” lends itself to repeated listens for those who can get past the length and it also clearly demonstrates that, twenty years on, My Dying Bride have a great deal more to offer.

8/10

Band: My Dying Bride
Album: The Barghest Of Whitby
Year: 2011
Genre: Doom Metal
Label: Peaceville
Origin: United Kingdom
www.mydyingbride.org