Earlier this year, U.K. gloom-metal icons My Dying Bride marked its 20th anniversary with the release of “Envinta.”
The album contained revamped renditions of much of the band’s catalogue, and the band reworked the songs to include new vocals and arrangements, resulting in a symphony of melancholy metal.
Less than a year later, My Dying Bride released “The Barghest O’ Whitby,” an EP released via Peaceville Records on CD and limited vinyl in November. Even though it literally comes right on the heels of “Envinta,” the EP is very different than the band’s last release.
“The Barghest O’ Whitby” is a single 27-minute track based on a chilling story about a menacing spirit on a quest for revenge, and it definitely plays more like a frightening fairy tale than a metal album. The release begins with a slow and somewhat daunting instrumental before lead vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe begins telling this gothic tale. Although Stainthorpe maintains the gloomy metal vocals that the band is known for, he is more of a storyteller on this one than a singer. He methodically takes listeners through the details of this plot.
“The Barghest O’ Whitby” retains some of the symphonic undertones that the band included heavily throughout “Envinta,” however, this one is definitely more reminiscent of the band’s doom-metal background.
No matter what form it comes in, listeners know that they are always going to get a somewhat scary and dark work of fiction from this band. Fans of My Dying Bride will find this latest release to be no exception.
Rating: W W
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