I recently got into My Dying Bride with the eclectic “34.788%...Complete”. I liked it even though many fans deplored the band’s apparent change to something very odd, experimental, and quite non-metal. The follow up is a change back to a more classic, black/doom/gothic heavy metal sound. The Light at the End of the World is guitar, drums, and bass in all its trudging, blackened splendor with only a sprinkling of synthesizers, oboes, and other ornaments. Aaron _____ is the artsy Bauhaus type who gives the band its rare sound, yet is one who will not hesitate to yell the warlock scream and growl with furrowed brows. Its all quite raw and wicked with a foreboding tension throughout. And within the songs that have more symphonic arrangements the tension continues with Aaron’s spoken word in almost gothic children’s book lore.

Still, the album throughout is characteristic of what I’m beginning to gather on this genre: nothing stands out. Nowadays other bands have incorporated extraneous elements, be it a full symphony, or sopranos in order to provide contrast and kindle interest. Save for the first couple of tunes and some exotic melodies (which are good enough to fuel my curiosity for the band‘s catalog), My Dying Bride’s latest stretches too far back to the classic sounds of it genre. Its almost an extreme opposite to the adventurous 34.788%. Unadventurous and empty throughout most the album, I feel like I want to hear something more.

Score 2.5/5

/author/ Alzn