Decibrity Playlist: Aaron Stainthorp​e (My Dying Bride) (Part 1)

We’ve been lucky enough to have the likes of Shane Embury, Greg Mackintosh and Anders Nyström tell us about records that related in some way to each of their bands’ studio albums. This time around, Aaron Stainthorpe (that’s him on the far right) combed through My Dying Bride’s discography (including the quintet’s eleventh and latest, A Map Of All Our Failures) to tell us about a record he was listening to while writing/recording each one. As he described, “They have not necessarily influenced the sound of our recording, but they’ve made life in the music world very much worth living and I thank them all for that.”

You can read the first half of Aaron’s picks below while listening along here. We also streamed four songs from Map last month, which you can check out here.

As The Flower Withers (1992) :: Bathory’s Under The Sign Of The Black Mark
This was their third album and a masterpiece, in my opinion, of extreme music. As black as hell and as mean as strangling puppies, it took hold of me and has virtually never been off my playlist since! A bloody classic!

Turn Loose The Swans (1993) :: Celtic Frost’s Into The Pandemonium
With a crossover of gothic/doom and death metal as well as swathes of the avant-garde, the Swiss trio wasn’t afraid to break with tradition on this opus, going against all popular music at the time. It was a huge hit with fans of all things dark.

The Angel And The Dark River (1995) :: Dead Can Dance’s The Serpent’s Egg
I’ve loved this outfit for years and this is still the all-time best for me. It has all the elements you’d expect from them all wrapped up in one very neat bundle. If you don’t own this LP, you have not properly understood music!

Like Gods Of The Sun (1996) :: Candlemass’s Nightfall
THE greatest doom LP of all time. A classic and without doubt an influence on me both musically and personally and with hand on heart I can admit that I don’t think My Dying Bride would be here today if this record didn’t exist!

34.788%…Complete (1998) :: Swans’ White Light From The Mouth Of Infinity
It’s abstract, noisy, weird and beautiful and I love it to death. Gira has an amazing voice and his provocative delivery and twisted lyrics blend perfectly with the layers of cascading music that make up such a passionate LP.

*Stay tuned for the second half of Aaron’s picks next week!

**Order a copy of A Map Of All Our Failures here.

***We update one Spotify playlist for each new Decibrity entry, so feel free to subscribe to that here. Past entries include:

Early Graves
All That Remains
Bison B.C.
A Life Once Lost
Fight Amp
Witchcraft (Ola Henriksson) (Magnus Pelander)
Vision of Disorder
Grave
Anders Nyström (Katatonia) (Part 1) (Part 2)
“Best of” Rush (Part 1) (Part 2)
Dawnbringer
Ufomammut
Shadows Fall
Horseback
Greg Mackintosh (Paradise Lost) (Part 1) (Part 2)
Torche
“Best of” Meshuggah
Astra
Pallbearer
Barren Earth
Shane Embury (Napalm Death) (Part 1) (Part 2)