Rock Music Critic

	My Dying Bride
	Songs Of Darkness, Words Of Light

	When I received the promo for this new My Dying Bride album in the mail I was quite excited. I've been a fan of "The Angel and the Dark River" and "Like Gods of the Sun" for years and always become excited by the prospect of new MDB material. Unfortunately they have a real hit-or-miss history and you never really know what to expect. "34.788%... Complete", while it had a couple decent songs, was overall a very drastically different sounding album which alienated a lot of people and in my opinion wasn't very good. "The Light at the End of the World" saw the band wisely returning to their old sound, but unfortunately it really wasn't a very interesting album. I think we were all hoping for another "Like Gods of the Sun." Just when I was beginning to consider writing them off, they went and released "The Dreadful Hours" and we kissed and made up. It wasn't "Like Gods of the Sun," but it was still good, and much better than the previous two releases. I felt good about MDB again. Now I have "Songs Of Darkness, Words Of Light" in my CD player and I'm having trouble forming an opinion. My first listen left me disappointed. It seems rather boring. Sure, it's doom metal, it's prone to lumbering along at a slow depressing pace, but it's just not catchy. The songs don't seem to go anywhere or have anything I can latch on to. I'm going to give it another listen or two and see if it grows on me. I'll get back to you. Ok, I'm back. I've spun the disc another two times and my opinion has indeed improved. Being in the proper mood for this album is probably requisite for enjoying it. I was feeling down and depressed when I popped this in again and it spoke to me a lot more than it did on the initial listen. I think you really have to pay close attention to this album, at least until you are familiar with it, to "get" this CD. Casual listening will probably bore you, but in proper circumstances it can actually be quite poignant. Perhaps "The Light at the End of the World" begs further detailed inspection as well. So there you have it: bipolars of the world, run out and purchase My Dying Bride and bask in it's dark beauty.
TRACKLIST: The Wreckage of My Flesh The Scarlet Garden Catherine Blake My Wine in Silence The Prize of Beauty The Blue Lotus And My Fury Stands Ready A Doomed Lover