Metal_On_The_Ascendant wrote:
Except this is a better album than Feel The Misery and The Ghost of Orion - which I'd place on equal footing for having a subtle thread running through the songs. But all the experimentation they crammed into those records sounds muted compared to A Mortal Binding which is heavy, demanding and unsubtle from the start.
See, people like to complain that MDB don't change things up much (someone even wondered stupidly if they're the AC/DC of doom) so when they give concessions like include de rigeur cello interludes and a whole album of stripped down orchestral bits called Evinta, these gestures either go largely ignored or outrightly reviled. Feel the Misery and The Ghost of Orion have some new interesting bits going but the stifled nature of experimentation holds them back. You tend to remember songs standing out - "I Almost Loved You", "To Outlive The Gods" - than the album being a complete work.
A Mortal Binding treads along like an album with things to say. It is a laborious experience but in the best way. MDB are done giving concessions, done with weird experimentation and are all about the RIFF here; have you heard this riff before? Probably, but has it been played with such weariness, such self-awareness? This band sounds old but not in the retire already way - in a grand, wisely, majestic way. The riffs are studied and with that British doom stiffness (most doom-death riffing can have a stiff gait to it, let's be real) but they hold thick and unrelenting. It's the sound of a seasoned band pulling from past maneuvers but they make it work every time. Each song here merely reinforces the other and the mood is unified in shape and character. Andrew Craighan at the helm of the songwriting is at his most single-focused, the riff overshadows all in its path with the violins peppering the distance. Has Lena Abe's bass ever sounded this TOOL- influenced before? What the hell? And Aaron Stainthorpe is so mesmerizing, fuck. I haven't felt this invested in an album since Panopticon's The Rime Of Memory.
This is album of the year type stuff.
We clearly disagree here, which is fine of course. It seems that you have listened to the bands' discography extensively (as I have) and are a huge fan (as I am). I will likely never consider this to be a better album than Feel the Misery. A Mortal Binding sounds more uniform, and that is one of the reasons it is less interesting to my ears (but it is about much more than that as I discuss below), whereas Feel the Misery felt more adventerous, fresh, energetic, dynamic and diverse. I simply responded to Feel the Misery at a deeper level emotionally. I don't find anything remotely stifled about the more unique or experimental bits on Feel the Misery - in fact, these and the other qualities I mentioned keep me going back to the album, and have the opposite impact on me - I view it as an album that stands out due to these very qualities.
I agree regarding Lena's bass: Some of the bass lines that she plays when chords are ringing out, during fills or even juxtaposing against the guitar riffs are excellent. Stood out to me almost immediately. As for the vocals? I can't believe how good his growls sound at his age, blown away! Absolutely ferocious. In fact, sometimes the vocals sound so mighty, vicious and menacing, that they outpace the guitars (as Andy has eschewed playing more wicked, death metal influenced riffs), and that is a bit of a problem for me. I really enjoyed it when the ferocity of the guitar riffs matched the venom of the harsh vocals in the past, when the tempos varied more significantly and there were more obvious dynamics. With the clean vocals I hear a lot of good melodies, but I don't hear any melodies that reach the heartfelt depths, quality and memorability of their best material. Some come close (The 2nd of Three Bells, Crushed Embers), but nothing quite gets there for me as of yet. This certainly poses a problem when grading the record as a whole. I also agree that this album is all about the riff, which is fine in principle. It's a matter of how one perceives the execution of this approach. This is probably where I disagree most strongly with your assessment. Regarding the riffs, I don't think they make it work every time at all. Not even close. They've only made it work every time, on every song, on a handful of albums across their discography. The lack of consistency, where one riff is great but the next is merely good (or even average at times), happens all too frequently. Andy boxing himself into such a limited range of scales and notes, instead of being a bit more adventerous, becomes an issue for me across the length of an entire record. Whether playing single note riffs, guitar harmonies, heavy open chords, or clean guitar arpeggios - I know he is sticking to this limited pallette and melodic structure, and I think they are capable of more than this (as they have accomplished greatness in thsi regards in the past).
As for songs that stand out - The 2nd of Three Bells and The Apocalyptist clearly stand above the rest of the material on the album, so that's my perception of A Mortal Binding thus far (as opposed to a complete work). Nor do I think a person is 'stupid' for saying they are the AC/DC of doom (although that is a bit rich IMO) - this is art and any judgement placed on it is entirely subjective (I don't totally disagree with that statement, nor do I totally agree with it). They are sonically nowhere near the band they started as, but they also have not changed or evolved anywhere close to the degree that a band like Anathema did. And personally, I'd place The Rime of Memory a full tier above A Mortal Binding, without question, for reasons too exhaustive to list. Don't get me wrong - there are wonderful aspects to this album, it is a clear improvement over The Ghost of Orion, and I enjoy it - I just feel the band is capable of more and it does not reach the heights of their greatest works, and that is unfortunate when I really wanted to love this, not just like it.