Entry 1506 - My Dying Bride - Like Gods of the Sun

Style: doom metal with gothic notes

Primary Emotions/Themes: romance, loss, vampirism, eroticism

Thoughts: There is a moment in time. Where guitars play a massive riff. A pipe organ builds to a mighty crescendo. A moment in time that is so undeniably powerful that it defines an entire album. That moment is Like Gods of the Sun.

The guitar tone on this album is probably the thickets and beefiest that the band has ever done... at least to this point. The songs are significantly shorter than any of the previous three full lengths. For the first time there are zero growled vocals from Aaron. It's also Martin's last album. 

Like Gods of the Sun is a time of change for the band. With the shorter songs comes more focus. They are less a collection of riffs and ideas to more of a focused effort with repeating melodies and even some verse/chorus structures. For a band that has thrived off of linear song writing to this point this is a huge change.

With all this change though there is one constant: the quality. Like Gods of the Sun is undoubtedly one of the finest My Dying Bride Albums in their entire discography. The riffs - while more simplistic - thrive off of melodies and deep emotional que's that the band hadn't explored to this extent before (See For You for a prime example). 

For the longest time I didn't care for Like Gods of the Sun. Like so many things though age does make a difference. My Dying Bride has matured here and is showing it in their song writing. The songs have more focus, deeper emotions, and are honestly more instantly memorable. 

The moment in time that I referenced at the beginning here is the title track. There is a moment right before the chorus where the band builds into this mighty crescendo with a furious riff and a pipe organ. It was the moment on the album that I knew the band had changed. This was a different side of the band than they had shown at any point previous. It's a microcosm of things to come. 

My Dying Bride has never been a stagnant band for better or worse. Their first four albums are arguably their golden era. They could do no wrong. While the next four albums were all interesting in their own wright the strength of the early albums is undeniable. Like the closing of an epic, Like Gods of the Sun closes the book on My Dying Bride's more important era.