Personally, I have never really cared for My Dying bride. As much as I love dismal doom metal, this veteran act has never struck the right chord with me. Is that blasphemy? No, it’s just this reviewer’s disposition. However, no one can deny how important this band has been to doom and gloom, and For Lies I Sire confirms, once again, that My Dying Bride are the kings of heartbreaking melodies.
My obstacle with this band is mostly due to Aaron Stainthropes vocal presentation. The poetic, soft spoken, whining he delivers is something you love or hate. Yet I find the more you listen to his music, the more you begin to warm up to it. Vocals aside, My Dying Bride has always remitted some of the most grief-stricken musical moments known to gothic/doom metal and from the start to finish, For Lies I Sire brings the pain.
Where most metal albums would start off spearheading out of the gates with fireballs of fury, track one “My Body, A Funeral” drags your soul down to the pit of despair and one cannot help but close their eyes and hang their head in shame. For this, I have the utmost respect for this band and this record. This song is beautiful. The much-anticipated return of the violin braids through this track like a lost soul, creating one of the bleakest moments I have had the pleasure of witnessing yet this year and it continues triumphantly through the record.
The violin has returned, yes, and new member Katie Stone does an excellent job of bringing back an old-school feel. Further pushing back the clock, For Lies I Sire coveys a much more despondent aura than 2006’s A Line of Deathless Kings. Though, there aren’t too many gutturals to Aarons vocals anymore, there are a few moments where he stretched his voice for an extreme edge, but nothing quite like the old days. “A Chapter in Loathing,” achieves black metal dissonance with screeching vocals and death gutturals. A mean track nevertheless.
Abstract as any output in their discography, For Lies I Sire will open itself multiple times to reveal some stellar songwriting. What makes great doom is the combination of hopelessness and triumph at the same time. Each and every song on this album performs this with masterful efficiency. Calming and yet brooding, this is what doom metal is all about. Every song does this, and finally “Death Triumphant” is eleven minutes of pure genius.
So, I haven’t been the biggest My Dying Bride fan over the years. One thing’s damn sure though, For Lies I Sire is serious shit and I enjoy it. Through years of controversy and line-up changes this band has stayed true to what they do and they continue to surprise us decades later. Poetic stuff indeed.
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One of my favorite bands of all time, excellent review….
on Apr 17th, 2009 at 07:58Yes, awesome review, Shane, though I’m not into this band. I listened to For Lies I Sire once but wasn’t impressed or touched by anything except for the vocal parts. I also thought the production wasn’t good enough for such a big band.
on Apr 18th, 2009 at 00:08I just wish it was more death/doom. I know thats not really the bands shtick anymore but I have a hard time listening to his voice. Deep gutturals would just blow my mind. But then again, everyone does that.
on Apr 18th, 2009 at 07:34This is pretty good-a a natural progression from deathless kings. Santuario di Sangue is pretty rending stuff
on Apr 21st, 2009 at 08:24I should also add- i loved the Sublte female vocals that teh new bassist adds here and there
on Apr 23rd, 2009 at 13:45I’m on about 5 spins now and I like it quite a bit…I wish the vocals growled a bit more in places, but it’s a very good record nontheless…
on May 11th, 2009 at 09:59