My Dying Bride helped birth and later perfect (see Turn Loose the Swans) the doom/death genre in the early ’90s. By the late ’90s, however, the lineup that left a seismic impact on extreme metal began to crumble. The band has admirably carried on since further cementing their legend, even in spite of perhaps their most recognizable member — original vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe — formally departing the band last year.
Now nearly 30 years after they last performed together, former MDB members Stainthorpe, co-founding guitarist Calvin Robertshaw, co-founding drummer Rick Miah, and original bassist Adrian Jackson have reemerged as Towards the Sinister to perform material drawn primarily from the their landmark debut EP Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium through 1996’s Like Gods of the Sun.
“What an opportunity we have ahead of us,” Robertshaw tells Decibel. “To be back in the presence of lifelong friends and musical practitioners who created iconic songs that helped to shape a genre is incredible. The camaraderie is still there and the banter flows like we’ve never had a day apart. This period had a lasting effect on those who first heard these songs and having this chance to perform the classics again will only strengthen our bond and push us to create more in the future.”
While their future remains unwritten, you can be to the first read about it by following Towards the Sinister on Instagram, (if you must) Facebook and the band’s official website. Live appearances announcements and info on merch drops will follow shortly. In the meantime, find me in the comments begging them to play “God Is Alone” and the original “Sear Me.”
