In the few weeks since the album’s release, it’s become increasingly apparent that My Dying Bride are on the brink of dissolution. Not that you’d know it from A Mortal Binding, which sees the band unleash seven tracks, combining their signature sound with occasional flourishes that neatly augment what has gone before. Recorded at Mynetaur studios by Mark Mynett, it’s a sumptuous outing from the band and, while it takes few risks, it has plenty to offer fans.
A Mortal binding opens with the mid-paced Her Dominion. It may feel familiar initially but, just as the listener has settled in for the ride, the band pivot, introducing a stabbing riff and a particularly gnarly vocal from Aaron. With Mark adding subtle effects, it’s a darker opening number than might be expected from the opening bars and, while the arcing feedback and soaring violin passages are closer to the classic MDB sound, the track has a dark energy that’s all its own. It ends suddenly, Aaron’s harsh growl lingering, before the rhythmic pulse of Thornwyck Hymn takes things forward in an unexpectedly dynamic fashion. More melodic than Her Dominion, and initially driven by relentless double kick, it slowly transforms into an eerie, fog-wreathed piece that slips comfortably between the more propulsive passages with which it starts and darker, heavier moments of doom once it has established its presence. It closes on a lush vocal harmony, from which the looming menace of The 2nd Of Three Bells slowly emerges. With a rather beautiful introduction that evokes images of abandoned churches set among dew-dappled moors, it expands to incorporate both the crushing riffs of Andrew Craighan and Neil Blanchett and the dark choirs of Shaun MacGowan. As such, it comes as some surprise when the track suddenly lurches into death metal territory, a descending riff backing some of the album’s most brutal vocals. Even given the relatively brisk pace of the opening numbers, the tough riff of Unthroned Creed lands with real force, pitching a stabbing, palm-muted riff against a vocal that manages to achieve the rather contradictory feat of being both mournful and catchy at the same time.
Wrongfooting the listener, the introduction to the remarkable The Apocalyptist allows some light to filter in amidst the bleakness, only for it to be trampled underfoot by one of the album’s heaviest riffs. Yet, even here, the band maintain a careful grasp on dynamics, and as the pace of this lengthy track slows, so Shaun’s violin is allowed to soar once more. A symphonic, constantly evolving monster of a track, The Apocalyptist provides the album with its emotional core, and it emerges as something of a latter-day masterpiece in the band’s canon. The subtle opening of A Starving Heart recalls My Dying Bride’s gorgeous cover of Scarborough Fair, while the mid-paced doom that emerges harks back to A Line Of Deathless Kings, with its emphasis on melody and space. A Mortal Binding concludes with Crushed Embers, a track that seems to quiver with the heartbreak expressed within its lyrics. As befitting the bleak atmosphere, the conclusion catches the listener unawares, stopping abruptly to allow Aaron’s snarl of “I faded from my bloodline and took leave of humanity” to close the album. It’s a harsh finale – as unforgiving as a movie cutting to black as a key character faces up to their deeds, and it feels strangely fitting, for all the discomfort it elicits.
By now, fans know what to expect from My Dying Bride, and there surely is much about A Mortal Binding that is familiar. Nevertheless, it is a strong outing. Mark Mynett has enough latitude to introduce the occasional production flourish, and his work behind the desk is impressive throughout, imbuing the band with depth and power, while maintaining the aura of dark melancholy that sits at the core of their sound. My Dying Bride, meanwhile, offer up a dense, dynamic set that ebbs and flows beautifully, both within songs and across the album’s runtime as a whole. The highlight its surely The Apocalyptist, but there’s very little that is weak on the record and, should A Mortal binding prove the band’s swan song, they will have gone out on a high. 8.5/10
