Meisterwerk II by My Dying Bride

This is more of a description for this death and doom metal band’s album, a second offering from a two-part compilation of rare and best of tracks. The first, Meisterwerk I, was mainly a testament to the band’s oft-revered ancient work. Listening to that post-Slayer, death metal ride was quite long and tedious. The occasional rough and rare track was like listening to some dusted-off cassette copy inherited from the local metal teen outcast circa 1989. Its cool. The music was all a big “rahh!” though I could see how MDB was a major influence to those who deny it now. Meisterwerk II seems to show the diverse and creative aspects of MDB that seems to satiate the other fans including this reviewer. So here goes:

1. Sear Me MCMXCIII - Turn Loose the Swans - the violin and piano soliloquy of disparaging doom and hushed spoken word. The eloquence of it all is the big turn on I guess.
2. Follower - 34.788%… - “Noooo!” says the yahooligans of doom. You guys are idiots, this was a great step in experimentation for its time. Now every band is doing the stuff of this album. And this unreleased song from this session is different. uncharacteristically heavy. Your miss!
3. Vast Choirs - demo of “Towards the Sinister” - highlighting what you may have missed from Meisterwerk I. One of the band’s first songs.
4. She is the Dark - The Light at the End of the World - the only good song from that album, quite a punky rocker I tell you. Angry shit too.
5. Catching Feathers - Towards the Sinister - another grinding blast fest. I sound like I’m mocking this stuff. Nope, this is all good.
6. Two Winters Only - The Angel and the Dark River - one for the slow pulses out there who are shoegazers deep down. Its a time-chilling piece of guitar and a sad Aaron Stainthorpe in duet. “Stark!” I tell you! Stark!
7. Your River - Turn Loose the Swans - a long and minimal song set to heaviness.
8. Some Velvet Morning - from the Peaceville X sampler - cover of a Slowdive song. Yes, that 4AD dreary dream shoegazer band. Quite a doomy song actually and MDB does a great job animating it into their own.
9. Roads - from the Peaceville X sampler - cover of the famous Portishead song. Again MDB makes it a good doom-hop song though Aaron is not quite as convincing as the Portishead lady.
10. For You (video) - Angel and the Dark River - whoa, MDB looks like Skid Row in a Tool-like video! True metal!

Score 2.5/5

by Alzn