MY DYING BRIDE — The Vaulted Shadows (review)

MY DYING BRIDE — The Vaulted Shadows album cover Boxset / Compilation · 2014 · Death-Doom Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"The Vaulted Shadows" is a compilation album by UK doom/death metal act My Dying Bride. The compilation was released through Peaceville Records in May 2014. "The Vaulted Shadows" features the material from the two EPs "The Barghest O' Whitby (2011)" and "The Manuscript (2013)". All 5 tracks on the 54:25 minutes long compilation are original tracks only featured on the EPs and on "The Vaulted Shadows". So no previously released album tracks, demo/single material, live tracks, or other types of usual EP material.

"The Barghest O' Whitby (2011)" EP only features one single eponymously titled track, but at 27:04 minutes in length it´s the longest track recorded by My Dying Bride up until 2011. It´s a track which features almost all of the band´s trademark elements like über melancholic violin parts, atmospheric keyboards, crushingly heavy guitar riffing (as well as great harmony work), heavy yet rhythmically intriguing drumming, and of course the growling and clean vocals by lead vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe. It´s quite an intriguing track but unfortunately also a bit fragmented and at times a bit too repetitive. The fact that the track is divided into two parts to fit the vinyl format, isn´t exactly good for the flow of the track either. When that is said, it´s a track which wins upon repeated listens, and overall it´s a great quality track by My Dying Bride.

"The Manuscript (2013)" features 4 tracks and except for "Vår gud över er" all tracks were recorded during the sessions for "A Map of All our Failures (2012)", but left off the album release. "Vår gud över er" is a harsher and more death metal oriented epic track, than the other three tracks which are more melancholic, doomy, and beautiful in nature. The violin is used extensively on the title track and on "A Pale Shroud of Longing". Although three of the tracks are outtakes from the "A Map of All our Failures (2012)" sessions, the quality of the material featured on "The Manuscript (2013)" is very high throughout.

Upon conclusion "The Vaulted Shadows" is what I would characterize as a "must have" for fans of the band (if they don´t already own the EPs), and more casual listeners could well start here too. A great representation of the different aspects of the band´s sound. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Unearthly Litanies of Despair Death Metal
ENGULFED
Buy this album from MMA partners
It Beckons Us All....... Black Metal
DARKTHRONE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Death Is Not The End Doom Metal
GLOSSA
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Way Forward Sludge Metal
BLACK TUSK
Buy this album from MMA partners
Till Aska Atmospheric Sludge Metal
WALK THROUGH FIRE
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Agremorta - Adrocitas (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 2 days ago
Agremorta - Ploratus Umbra (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 2 days ago
Agremorta - Vertex Membrana (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 2 days ago
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR - The Temple Of Curved Space (Official Track Stream)
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
adg211288· 2 days ago
In Sulfur - The Gate (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 2022
IN SULFUR
Bosh66· 3 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed