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MY DYING BRIDE ‘As The Flower Withers’
(Peaceville Records 1992/reissue 2003)
Sadly, when people refer to the most important albums in the history of My Dying Bride, 1992's release "As The Flower Withers" is rarely, if ever, mentioned. You can argue that the quality of the recordings that are featured in this release, both in terms of musical skill and quality of production, is not easily comparable with that of the band's future classics, but in order to understand and acknowledge the importance of this album, you need to make a small trip back to 1990 - the year that My Dying Bride was born.
Only a decade has passed, since Britain had introduced the revolutionary N.W.O.B.H.M music direction to the world, but those who were actively involved in the music business in the year 1990 could sense that another important moment for the music heritage of this great island was approaching. This time it was up to the worshippers of the Black Sabbath sound, bands like Paradise Lost, Anathema and the newly formed My Dying Bride to deliver the goods, and history proved that they managed to achieve this with great determination and unique skill.
The first release from Yorkshire's finest came out that very same year and was entitled "Towards the Sinister". This four-track demo featured, among others, "Vast Choirs" - an eight minute track that was later to become one of the main compositions of "As The Flower Withers". Aaron Stainthrope’s unique vocals (far more brutal at the time) and Andy’s fast-paced guitar riffs, were enough to make people assume that My Dying Bride were to become a classic Death Metal outfit, but with the release of "As The Flower Withers" the members of My Dying Bride proved that they were interested in expanding their musical vision in areas that were not yet known to men.
One perfect example of such an approach is "Sear Me" – a classic My Dying Bride composition which became a source of inspiration for many of the band’s future releases. The formula was quite simple: heavy guitar slow tempo riffs, brutal but agonisingly painful vocals and beautiful violin-based melodies, all working towards the same goal. It is not just the band’s decision to create such lengthy compositions so early in their career, that needs to be admired, but also the fact that, through such compositions, they were able to bring to the surface a variety of different feelings, such as anger, despair and sorrow. Yes, Stainthrope and Co were indeed determined to get their message through to people, and their music was strong enough to do it for them.
The most important element in the band’s music, and without any doubt their trademark, is the use of the violin in their compositions. There is definitely nothing wrong with songs like "Forever People", "Vast Choirs" and "Erotic Literature", but it is Martin Powell's violin melodies in "The Bitterness And The Bereavement" and "The Return Of The Beautiful" which convinced even the most difficult of critics that My Dying Bride was a considerable rising force that deserved attention. This is the motive that the band chose to follow in all their future releases, and the main reason for their inevitable success and recognition.
It is easy to criticise the apparent simplicity of the band’s compositions, Aaron's mono-dimensional vocals and the not-so-great production of "As The Flower Withers", but no-one can argue that this release helped build the foundations of this great band. If you are a My Dying Bride fan, you need no convincing – as for the rest, listen to this release carefully in order to understand how it helped shape a very important part of the modern extreme metal sound.
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Review by John Stefanis
Interview
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