Decbirity Playlist Revisited: My Dying Bride

Deciblogger Zach Smith caught up with Aaron just before the release of My Dying Bride’s 2012 full-length A Map of All Our Failures for this playlist of records Aaron was listening to while writing and recording each album. He said the albums “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.”

To listen along while reading, check out the Apple Music playlist 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
‘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.

The Light At The End Of The World (1999) :: Depeche Mode’s Violator
Electro pop misery from England—what’s not to like? I was a member of their fan club once upon a time and still have a 7″ flexi disc for signing up, what a treasure!

The Dreadful Hours (2001) :: Mazzy Star’s Among My Swan
The effortless beauty and innocence in Hope Sandoval’s voice still pulls my heart strings today. What initially sounds like a summertime LP, all glowing and golden, soon turns to utter misery with a picnic of melancholy thrown in for good measure.

Songs Of Darkness, Words Of Light (2004) :: Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds’ Murder Ballads
The only LP in my entire collection where every single song on it is brilliant. A supreme wordsmith backed by a top notch band performing tunes of deviance and destruction—with Kylie! What more do you want?

A Line of Deathless Kings (2006) :: Trouble’s Run To The Light
A doom classic before they went a bit stoner. Weirdly effective vocals from Eric Wagner with crushing guitar work and pounding drums from the rest of the boys make for one seriously morbid release—from a Christian band no less.

For Lies I Sire (2009) :: Swans’ The Burning World
If the likes of Celtic Frost and Candlemass helped instigate the birth of My Dying Bride, then Swans kept the engines firing on all miserable cylinders. So good, we even covered one of their tracks. A masterpiece.

A Map Of All Our Failures (2012) :: Grinderman’s Grinderman 2
Grinderman 2 sees Nick Cave back with Warren Ellis and the lads in much dirtier form with screeching violins, manic guitars, frenzied vocals and all manner of cacophony afoot. It’s nasty and naughty and doesn’t give a fuck—hail to that!