Style: Doom/death metal
Primary Emotions/Themes: A profound sense of loss, unmitigated violence, romance and lust
Thoughts: All things have a beginning. All things have an end. Even the mightiest of rules fall to the sands of time. Here we chronicle the humble beginnings to one My Dying Bride and with it the start of one of the most fascinating bands within the metal genre.
As the Flower Withers is an incredibly raw and open debut album. Not just in the presentation of the music, but the emotions that are presented here. There is nothing held back, nothing is masked, everything is laid out on the table - musically and lyrically.
From the technical aspect the production is clear, but immediately recognizable as late 80's/early 90's metal production, especially the drums. The bass drums in particular have that hollow thump to them that was so prevalent at the time. The guitars are muddy yet somehow clear at the same time, and the vocals howl over it all.
This album is the only My Dying Bride record that does not feature Aaron's clean singing. Everything except for two lines in The Return of the Beautiful are his visceral growl draped in reverb. It's primitive, it's violent, and it fits the music perfectly. Clean vocals would not have worked on this album.
As menacing as the vocals are, the riffs match them bit for bit. The album already shows a mature writing style for a good portion of the album. My Dying Bride's signature dual guitar riffs are all over the place. One guitar leading the other in a gentle yet sorrowful dance as they consign themselves to oblivion.
Rick's drumming is also quickly forming into a staple of the My Dying Bride sound. Those signature fills with the double kicks on the bass and snare then slow tom rolls right after. Often imitated, but never duplicated - instantly recognizable.
Where the band would later focus more on the slower and more emotionally draining styles, here the band is seeing jumping from their signature sound to faster and almost pure death metal styled riffs. Sear Me has a section that is far more brutal than anything the band would write in the future. This is duplicated in The Forever People, a song the band still plays live to this day.
The band also utilizes feedback effectively throughout the album. The guitars will play a note and then be allowed to slowly feed back before playing the next. It's especially effective in the slower sections of the album and adds to the unhinged and raw feelings that the album embraces.
As the Flower Withers is not only a fantastic debut, it's one of the better albums out of My Dying Bride's discography. Truly, any of the first four to eight albums (depending on how you like to look at it) are incredible. Such a run is more than most bands can ask for, and for My Dying Bride is was just the beginning.
Written February 12th 2024
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