Thursday, May 15, 2025

Entry 1129 - My Dying Bride - The Dreadful Hours


Style: Death/doom metal with gothic touches

Primary Emotions/Themes: If the Light at  the End of the World was a return to form this is the refinement of it

Thoughts: My Dying Bride's early discography is some of the best in any band in any genre ever. Their first eight albums went on such a diverse and high quality run that I struggle to think of a band that had that long of a success streak over that many albums. 

The Dreadful Hours sees the band double down on their commitment to the earlier albums in their discography... except even more so than Light. This album is heavier, Aaron's growls are deeper, the death metal is more present, the gothic elements are a bit more subtle, and the band is more aggressive than ever.. probably the most they have been since the debut.

This all comes at a slight cost though. The wonderful melodies that the band has as their trademark have taken a step back. They are still present from time to time but they are not the central focus of the album anymore like they were on the previous album. This feels like the band is committing to the early albums and taking the sound in a new direction. In doing so they have created an monster, one that is one of the strongest albums in their entire catalog.

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