Photo Credit: John Steel
Britain’s masters of melancholy, My Dying Bride, are back – less than a year after 2020’s fantastic Ghost of Orion – with the Macabre Cabaret EP. The EP is focused on that most compelling of subject matters – the link between fear and sexual arousal, between sweet pain and destructive illusion in unchecked sexuality.
The title-track kicks us off with what My Dying Bride does best – doominess fit for a funeral. The percussive talents of Jeff Singer get a really good look-in on this track. The song deals with the repercussions of unchecked sexuality and the all-conquering passion of physical desire over pure love. This is heard in the operatic and intense sound, lending a layer of sophistication to the doom, as any good My Dying Bride track should.
A Secret Kiss takes things one step further, this time exploring the final moments of the human soul. The topics of heaven and hell are explored here, but it’s the texture of Aaron Stainthorpe’s unclean vocals which really shine. They provide the release which has been building since the beginning of track one, and lead to a more sinister interpretation of the themes.
Sadly, this EP is only a two out of three success story, as A Purse of Gold and Stars is a pretty testing listen. The spoken word segments are hopelessly cheesy and use scans which are reminiscent more of 90s rap than anything else (“la-by-rinth” – no. Just no.) The song is pretty much a poor man’s Love Is Dead. All Love Is Dead from Sightless Pit’s stellar debut album from earlier this year, and it doesn’t really come close.
This EP is a mixed bag. The first two tracks have interesting concepts, and are carried out well, but it’s really let down by track three. Overall, you might be better off listening to Ghost of Orion, which was great.
5/10
Standout Track: A Secret Kiss
For Fans Of: Katatonia, Saturnus
Written by: Rosie Solomon
