I once received an e-mail from a drummer who had to air his
anger. He was the drummer in an American doom band. He felt insulted because I
had compared a release from his band with My Dying Bride in my review. I was
gobsmacked.
He had completely missed the fact that I have three main references within the
doom genre and that I totally adore these bands: Black Sabbath, Candlemass and,
you got it, My Dying Bride. When I compare a band to My Dying Bride and do so
positively, there is no, I repeat, NO reason to complain - even if MDB use open
chords to a further extent than your own band or whatever... The reason this
indignated drummer's band only got a half-decent rating in the end was only because they were
able to conjure up a figment of the atmosphere that My Dying Bride can.
Otherwise they were a mediocre band. Period.
I suggested, polity, in my response to the drummer that he started writing for
our site so that we could get some decent doom metal reviews instead of my amateurish
rambling. I mean - what could I say?! He got back to me.
Anyway, I mention this because I'm likely to mention My Dying Bride again in a
second or two. In fact, I will right now - and I plead that no one sees this as an
offence: My Dying Bride has not lived in vain for Fall of Empyrean either.
But unlike the angry drummer's band, Fall of Empyrean have a lot more to offer
all by themselves.
This is the darker end of doom metal, mind you. Richard
Medina's choice is for the most part a deep growl, and the rest of the band
follows suit. The music is diverse, dark, heavy to the point where bowels are
moved, and yet 'A Life Spent Dying' holds lots of melody as I believe it
appropriate in real doom metal.
A fan of doom metal? Go on and check this one out!
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