Following on from this years earlier album ‘For Lies I Sire’ which we featured in deepest darkest February, My Dying Bride have waited till summer has shed its skin and it has all got dark and gloomy again to release a new EP. They are one of the few bands to embrace the format in our haunted metal kingdom and I guess their fans are happy to pick these up or they wouldn’t keep doing so. This is a nice package as well as it includes a few different and interesting titbits to keep all their followers miserable.
Firstly we have the single from the album ‘Bring Me Victory’ which I am assuming that anyone reading this is already well versed in. So it’s the accompanying video that really is likely to be of most interest. It is directed by Swede Charlie Grubers who also did their ‘Deeper Down’ video as well as Katatonia’s ‘July.’ The dark and deep blue lens filters really make this wholly atmospheric and we are dropped into a story within the walls of a rain-wept mansion house as its inhabitants sit down to an opulent feast. I was kind of reminded straight away of Texas Chainsaw Massacre which I note the director has listed as a favourite movie. Not that the plot is similar apart from the dining scenario but it has that air about it and is not fantastically vegetarian friendly. Between this there are shots of Aaron looking moribund as he is caressed by two buxom ladies; it’s a hard life being a rock-star!
There are a couple of covers; one should certainly be familiar being ‘Scarborough Fair’ dating back to medieval times and made famous by Simon And Garfunkel. Lets face it loads of people have had a stab at this one and Leaves Eyes have delivered their version just a month or so ago. With this in mind I’m not sure it was the best choice and it’s not the best version I have heard but it is slow and doomy and has Brides stamp of morbidity about it. Not so well known perhaps is ‘Failure’ which is a Swans song and I admittedly fail as this is a band that I should know a lot more and really should pick up their back catalogue. If I had been played this and asked who did it originally I would have without hesitation guessed Nick Cave and been wrong but it really does sound like it’s that sort of ballad and it really is nailed vocally by Aaron Even if I don’t know the original it makes me want to hear it and that is surely where a cover song surely succeeds. Finishing off almost 30 minutes of music we have live revamped favourite and earliest song of the group’s career ‘Vast Choirs’ live at Graspop 2008. What’s not to like?
http://www.mydyingbride.org
