A Map of All Our Failures

[DarkLink]

... is gonna be the name of the forthcoming MDB studio album. Hail for the artwork ! Really nice one:



Maybe we'll get a short excerpt of this beauty soon enough !

[DarkLink]

According to MDB's official website and Blabbermouth.net:

MY DYING BRIDE: New Album Details Revealed - July 26, 2012
U.K. doom metal veterans MY DYING BRIDE have set "A Map Of All Our Failures" as the title of their new album, due on October 15 In Europe and October 16 in the U.S. via Peaceville Records on CD, double vinyl and special-edition CD/DVD. The CD eas recorded and mixed at Futureworks Studios in Manchester, England with the band's longtime production partner Rob "Mags" Magoolagan at the helm.

According to a press release, "a step up from 2009's 'For Lies I Sire' — which set and subsequently met new heights of expectation placed upon the legendary Yorkshire doom troupe — 'A Map Of All Our Failures' is a further voyage into the darkest depths of humanity, religion, folklore, love and death. MY DYING BRIDE's distinctively sumptuous dual-guitar melodies effortlessly flood into juggernaut doom metal riffs, with the vocals of Aaron Stainthorpe weaving a rich tapestry of tragic tales into the accompanying soundscapes. 'A Map Of All Our Failures' is perhaps best and most effectively summarized by guitarist Andrew Craighan, who describes the album as 'a controlled demolition of all your hopes.'"

"A Map Of All Our Failures" track listing:

01. Kneel Till Doomsday
02. The Poorest Waltz
03. A Tapestry Scorned
04. Like A Perpetual Funeral
05. A Map Of All Our Failures
06. Hail Odysseus
07. Within The Presence Of Absence
08. Abandoned As Christ

MY DYING BRIDE will embark on a European tour in December in support of the new album. The band will also make an appearance at the U.K.'s esteemed Damnation Festival in November, at which Peaceville will be a proud sponsor to coincide with the label's 25th anniversary.

[Danhod]

Cover certainly looks dark, perhaps the standard MDB logo didnt work with the art, but would love to see the original logo return!

Awaiting the excerpt! Would love to hear some short snippets of different parts like what they did with Barghest

[DarkLink]

I do agree I also miss the tortured and tormented logo but this one is ok in golden letters. And the artwork representing a crying bride fits certainly pretty well the MDB athmosphere.

[Danhod]

I hope the record is good...

A "controlled demolition of all your hopes", as Andy described it.

Noooooo!

The CD/DVD set is actually a chav edition:

[DarkLink]

"My Dying Ride" ahahah it has some deep sexual innuendoe in my opinion

[Danhod]

"My Dying Ride" ahahah it has some deep sexual innuendoe in my opinion

LOL!

[OceanGypsy666]

I need a map to all the failure of this world. Hope it works for me! Can't wait!

[Lychfowel]

Ah, so this is where we discuss a map of all our failures.
I for one have the following observations:

- I miss the "classic" / "trve" logo. It's such an awesome logo. Does it matter? Not really;
"As the Flower Withers", "The Angel and the Dark River" and "Like Gods of the Sun" are
all great, and I hope (and suspect) "A Map of all our Failures" to be great as well.

- The titles: "Kneel till Doomsday" is a great title, sounds like a song that could have been on
'Songs of Darkness...', very grimdark. "The Poorest Waltz" on the other hand is a title I
haven't warmed to yet, I don't know. A poor waltz sounds bad enough, but the poorest?
"A Tapestry Scorned" brings thoughts of the earliest My Dying Bride-material when Aaron,
and I am really curious what this song is about, well, aside from tapestry that everyone feels
contempt for. "Like a Perpetual Funeral" is a really miserable title in the doom sense I
mean; wow, can you get any doomier than a perpetual funeral? Kind of weird to have a
title with "funeral" in it right after the previous album's "My Body, A Funeral" but hey, it is
an incredibly grim title.
The title track has a great title (no wonder its the title track), wonder what the song will
be about (I suspect the Internet ). "Hail Odysseus" doesn't do much for me, I prefered
the earlier mentioned title with that name in it, but no big deal; "Within the Presence of
Absence" is definitely the weirdest title in the crop, sounding more like something you'd
expect on a technical brutal death metal album, or perhaps a Cynic album. I suspect this
song is about being in a church or something (the "absence" being the lack of faith/ god).
Finally "Abandoned as Christ" is sunglasses-cool, and about time the band's invisible
member got his name in a title.

- The cover art is very good, although it looks a lot like a lot of other metal albums in terms of style and content (Katatonia, Opeth to name a few - is it the same artist?) Still, it is a pretty amazing piece and I can understand why the band went with this one; that being said, it is not in my top five MDB covers (so far) - it is almost as if the cover isn't "weird" (in the positive sense) enough for MDB. Heheh. Picking nits since 1975.

Overall, today's announcement has me all excited and listening to the back catalogue again.
And the new Testament.

[Danhod]

I imagined the absence in the presence of absence being the deceased person at a (the F word again!) funeral.

Hail Odysseus sounds like it's going to be an epic track, but won't look too much into it just wasting time I ain't got because the Olympic opening ceremony is starting soon so I need to turn the TV on and get ready for disappointment

[Lychfowel]

Hail Olympus!!?

[Andrew]

Hi All,

just a brief observation, you're not officially allowed to miss the old logo until this is released.

If you have hard copies of our last 3 releases you might find we have used the original logo more than not, so wait until you have hard copies of our next three before becoming so brilliantly observant that we haven't used it in a while ie on the release yet to be released.

You're all mad, i really mean that but i love you for it.

Andrew

When you can't better the silence, don't speak.

[Danhod]

Hi All,

just a brief observation, you're not officially allowed to miss the old logo until this is released.

If you have hard copies of our last 3 releases you might find we have used the original logo more than not, so wait until you have hard copies of our next three before becoming so brilliantly observant that we haven't used it in a while ie on the release yet to be released.

You're all mad, i really mean that but i love you for it.

Andrew

Then thank god we're unofficial!

You have another three releases planned?

If you really loved us you'd give us an audio excerpt

[Lycaon]

I wonder whether the logo not being used on AMOAOF would have been that much of an issue if there wasn't a poll about it. And honestly, I think not.

Besides, I think from an artistic point of view it was a good decision to leave the logo out. It would not have done much good to the overall balance of the picture by scattering and displacing the natural focus. A calmer font suits the cover better.

I hope this does not make me sound too much of a spoiled brat, but if I remeber correctly, there were 14 songs recorded. What what happened to the six trakcs that did not make it to the final product?

[Danhod]

I think the original logo will be used judging from Andys post.

I guess when it was used on LGOTS perhaps the legacy of the logo wasn't so great as it wasn't used on so many records by then

See guys, it's all about the logo, not the music

[Lycaon]

Agreed on all points.

As for the extra songs, I may have dreamt it, but I think Andy said somewhere that the extra tracks would be released on an EP (or two EPs) next year.

Yeah, you are right, he did mention something like it. But what I would like to know is the reason they are not included. Weren't they of good enough quality, did they simply not fit because they were too different, etc.

[song^^]

Nice cover artwork, I'm ok with the logo( that logo was recently in 'Bring Me Victory' EP and that was a very nice EP ) and looks good with the design.

Song's titles and cover looks quite deppresive and somewhat more aggressive than two previous albums, and eight songs probably means generally long songs.

Well I'm sold and waiting for preorder time, I love the feeling when a new MDB album is going to be released

[DarkLink]

I've noticed that lately I've been the only woman posting on this Forum and sometimes I do feel alone here. Where are the other women?

In case no one noticed it yet, I'm actually a girl as well

[DarkLink]

Guess the Cunt of Darkness is much more representating the feminine side of this forum than what I do indeed

Glad you're still amongst us Lily, keep on fightin' !

On-topic: If I had to go for one at first sight, that would be the eponymous song for me " A Map Of All Our Failures." As for Lies I Sire, I hope it would end up being my favourite song.

Oh, I almost forgot about that: Whilst still in the mist of slumber this morning, I stumbled upon this on FB:

Hello to you

[Frits]

Brilliant description: demolition of all your hopes. I for one am ready to get demolished again. I'm gonna take the day of from work october 15th and 16th. I'm gonna need it.

[Lychfowel]

An excerpt of the lyrics has actually been leaked:

Baby, I'm gonna kneel,
Oh baby, I'm gonna kneel for you
Gonna kneel baby
For you, till doomsday

On my knees
I see your crotch
I like it

[Danhod]

Actually The Poorest Waltz lyrics leaked too:

When I went to the ball
What I saw was beyond all
Ugly breasts before

We danced together forever
My leg was torn and severed
I tried to blame the weather
But I actually slipped on a feather

We spun around on the ground
The stereo was broke so there was no sound
She headbutted me, I did rebound!
She frowned at me it was profound

We were drinking single malts
Including salts from various cults
Dancing with dying adults
Guess I'm the victim of the poorest waltz

[Lychfowel]

[Danhod]

Definitily, not among my favourite lyrics, not miserable enough. Besides, I miss both the sexual overtones and religious references.

I'm sure the lyricist cand do better.

At least I can spell

I thought it was fitting that the poorest waltz lyrics should have the poorest lyrics, otherwise it wouldn't be the poorest!

There were sexual overtones and one possible religious reference, you BDSM beast! ;P

I challenge you to beat it without using profanities!

[Danhod]

I thought it was fitting that the poorest waltz lyrics should have the poorest lyrics, otherwise it wouldn't be the poorest!

There were sexual overtones and one possible religious reference, you BDSM beast! ;P

Sorry, but those are too soft to appease my hunger and I'm too much hardcore.

I challenge you to beat it without using profanities!

That's impossible, I can't beat the lyricist.

Then you can't criticise

I save the hardcore stuff for ny noise project

[Danhod]

"My groins barely covered"

Hahahahaha

"I will always look on the bright side of life"

Too optimistic

I prefer - 'Suicide is inevitable'

[Danhod]

"My groins barely covered"

Hahahahaha

"I will always look on the bright side of life"

Too optimistic

I prefer - 'Suicide is inevitable'

"Suicide is inevitable" is on "A Map of All Our Failures". Why do you think the album has been described as a controlled demolition of all hope?

What d' ya mean by it's on a map of all our failures?

[Danhod]

I wasn't joking, I'm a bit confused :S

Do you mean a map if all our failures as the album or literally in real life?

Besides I thought you were the hardcore one, most people tend to take me too seriously

[Danhod]

@TheSheWolf I understand fully

do you guys think that the band members would be sad from whats going on now such as that strange lyrics for un-released album ??

I hope they'd find it rather amusing

[Danhod]

GEEEET AAAA LIIIIIIFE!

Hey we're just filling in time until the albums release, especially at 1am haha

[muskurov]

I am quite happy to wait for the album's release before I hear a note.

same here. no spoilers!

[muskurov]

I'm a zombie, you see... but at least I do have a sense of humour.

a zombie who can spell and has a sense of humour? you're quite a catch

[Danhod]

= You guys

Where's the people?

[Lychfowel]

I'm sure the guys have a sense of humour.

[Danhod]

keep it for when the new album is released

This album will be a controlled demolition of all this medicine

[Lychfowel]

To be honest, I'd rather wait until the album is in my hands, but should the band unveil a teaser or a song I wouldn't be able to resist listening to it.

[Danhod]

I would like a teaser that shows what kind of sound to expect, maybe an excerpt you play once, or twice then it deletes itself haha!

[Danhod]

Actually how about studio footage as the teaser? That way it should sound rough and unfinished, not too spoiling then!

[DarkLink]

october means october - it's a bit early to demand stuff.
preorders then samples then all the rest, that's the rule for all bands.
if mdb break it, then fine (they're gods after all). but contracts and all the shit involved are the same for everybody.

They are no gods but just human beings playing fantastic music. And I think everyones here is aware of what a contract is and what it means. Some are just more excited than other, that's it.

[Lychfowel]

Bah, I guess this means I can throw away my Aaron statues.

[muskurov]

Bah, I guess this means I can throw away my Aaron statues.

You wouldn't believe how many Aaron statues I've built

For Shame! what would Jesus say?

[Danhod]

I also miss the usual MDB logo like anyone else! But the artwork is wonderful!
Also, wasn't Hail Odysseus supposed to be called "And the Sirens Called unto Odysseus"?
Looking forward to the album.

I think it was originally called that without the 'unto'

[Danhod]

I no longer want a teaser, I need it! I probably could wait, but I need a distraction!

[Danhod]

Where the CD/DVD & vinyl & shirt bundle preorder? haha

CD/DVD & vinyl bundle preorder ordered

2 tracks per vinyl side, must be long tracks then!

[muskurov]

CD & DVD just pre-ordered

Likewise! October can't come fast enough...

+1

"PLUS ADDITIONAL DVD FEATURING BAND DOCUMENTARY"
such a teaser, it will be a sleepless night in anticipation on October 14th. how about we make an online release-party ? although as an international order I doubt that the CD/DVD will come on monday morning.

[Lychfowel]

I'll be pre-ordering the special edition + t-shirt bundle the moment I get my next salary.

[Danhod]

Leaked lyrics?
Leaked music?
No, I don't thnk so. If it's not from an MDB member, then ignore it.

Fairly sure they were joking, anyway.

Yeah obviously

[bagingkle]

I wonder if this album will be a continuation of "Lies i Sire", meaning all clean vocals and a somewhat (albeit slight) more accessible sound/songs than previous masterpieces.

I think Andrew wrote in some other thread that the clean-to-growl ratio was roughly 60/40 in favour of clean.

Here you go, straight from Andrew:

by Andrew » Sat Jul 14, 2012 11:48 am

Answers:

L.p.is scheduled for release this year October is the pencilled in date.
The Album title is one of the songs and doesn't contain the word Woz.
The cover is being done by Rhett who did For Lies. It is being closely guided by myself and Aaron and is looking pretty harrowing.
The growl to clean vocals is 60 / 40 in favour of clean but when the death metal hits it hits very hard this time. The clean vocals are the best he's produced since The Angel / Turn Loose era and harks back to that time in places (my opinion only)
The Eps will be organised and will see the light of day next year no dates just yet.

Anything else ask away and if it's not secret at present ill answer as best as I can

Andy
Andrew
MDB Band Member
Posts: 88Joined: Wed May 09, 2007 10:06 am

[muskurov]

http://www.metal-temple.com/site/catalo ... -a-map.htm

one of the earliest reviews. it doesn't reveal that much of the album, but just enough to make me even more eager to hear it.

[Lychfowel]

Yeah, I got that mail this morning but I can't for the life of me find a clicky linky to listen to Kneel till Doomsday (Edit)

[Lychfowel]

Never mind AND HOLY FUCK AWESOME.
Pre-ordered CD/DVD + T-shirt

[Lychfowel]

I added myself to the mailing list, hoping that the download would be the complete song, but it still the [edit], but that's fine. I already regret having listened to this edit as I had told myself that this time - this time! - I would wait until I had the album in my hands. Weak as I am, that was of course not possible with such a offering this grey morning. And yes it sounds lovely so far! Different in some ways, but without a doubt My Dying Bride.

[muskurov]

powerful teaser, love it. how about a DVD teaser/trailer ??

[Lychfowel]

I've been listening to it over and over again as well, it is really a great My Dying Bride track, the vocal lines are melodic and interesting, the death metal parts are just fricking astounding, sinister and wicked like only My Dying Bride can do it. The break at 01:40 is also so very old school delicious. Somehow this song combines - in my opinion of course - "The Barghest o' Whitby", "The Light at the End of the World" and "For Lies I Sire", the drumwork is also more old school in parts. And even though this is the umpteenth album from the band, it is still more newish and fresh than "heard that before" which befalls so many bands. There is one riff which makes me think of something else in the back catalogue, and I can't even pinpoint it. If the rest of the album is as cool as this edit, well, this could be the album to rival 'Turn Loose the Swans' in my opinion. That would be one hell of an achievement. Of course, the edit doesn't tell us anything about the rest of the album so I am trying to surpress my expectations. Ok enough mad gushing.

Oh, the lyrics sound great too:

I drank her meaning
Of her words
As death
She danced
For Sean Penn
But his request
Was that slut.

[Danhod]

Gave it two listens, love it, refreshing and unique sound without straying too far from classic MDB, vocals remind me of TAATDR, fantastic. Won't listen again for a few weeks, don't want to become too familiar with the track before release.

The clean vocals are different from before, I like them before they have grown on me feels like this records going to be a classic (to me anyway)

[DarkLink]

How nice to get a new song after the end of my vacation.
Nothing much to say about this excerpt though, quality doom metal for sure.

Weirdly, I've been much more surprised by the drumm and the bass lines than by the usual mesmerizing instruments: guitars, violin and vocal. Still, it's homogenous enough and it's quite easy to get in. One thing is sure for me so far, it does not sound like any other MDB albums.

I'm even more curious about the rest of this album now.

By the way, do you know other songs beginning with the sound of a bell ? It reminds me of Metallica's For Whom The Bell Tolls.

[DarkLink]

Anyone who got the lyrics ?

[Andrew]

Yeah. Thanks.

[Frits]

First thing I noticed was the different sound of the vocals indeed. Much clearer, lighter I would say. The riffs are simply intriguing, aren't they? Didn't know what to think of them at first, but I've developed a taste for them now. And the violin adds yet another completely different layer to it. Almost like some kind of 'progressive doom' thing going on.
I know what I'm going to get myself for my birthday, that's for sure.

[Danhod]

Yeah. Thanks.

?

There is one riff which makes me think of something else in the back catalogue, and I can't even pinpoint it.

Yeah! From 2:15? or is that just me haha

[muskurov]

what happened to the alleged interview Aaron did for Metal Hammer? has anyone seen it or are they keeping it for their October issue?

[Danhod]

Yeah. Thanks.

?

An answer to DarkLink's question, I assume!

Hahaha!

[DarkLink]

I assume I should rephrase the question better:

Anyone (native speakers) who understood the lyrics of this song ? What it is mainly about ? Thanks indeed.

[Danhod]

I hope that is only half the song

'Her' being someone supreme I guess, as if sentencing someone or everyone to doom, hence the title doomsday, maybe.

[Danhod]

any further details on the DVD? running time?

It's a great way to get fit.

[Andrew]

http://www.peaceville.com/mydyingbride/ ... rfailures/

[Danhod]

Kneel Till Doomsday full version yay

Will the website be getting a makeover soon?

[DarkLink]

I think the documentary is going to be a great, great moment. The small excerpt we get of the self-analysis of Andrew's being a part of such a great band makes me eager to learn more about what's inside their heart while doing this music.

And thanks a lot for giving the unedited version of Kneel Till Doomsday, the last 3 minutes are indeed amazing, and you know what, I was even able to get most of the lyrics by myself ! Awesome !

[DarkLink]

If the rest of the album is as good as this song then it will be a really, really fantastic album. I'm deeply impressed.

I second that.

[DarkLink]

Yeah, I like very much his part, especially in the end, when we hear like a reminiscence of the tertiary 'Sear Me' rhythm.

[Lychfowel]

I actually teared up watching the boys talking about the band. They have been my heroes for so long, and are still going so strong. Love this promotion, and love the fact that the album is a mere five weeks away.
Oh, and just how haunting is that violin bit when taken out of context along with the dark imagery at the beginning of the trailer! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

EDIT:
Also, hotdamn but isn't "Kneel till Doomsday", you know, the awesome?! Instant classic.

[DarkLink]

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=179176

Video interview ( Aaron > Lena ) , im in love !

I could listen to these guys talk all day! Thanks for posting!

Great ITW again, it's great to hear both Aaron and Lena talking about the release. What I've kept in mind:

- The older, the better
- Next album is gonna contain typical old slow tempos
- The lyrics are somehow educational because contains loads of poetry and 18/19th elements. Themes remain quite identical to the previous album: religion and passion, love and loss etc: they like to provoke emotions to the listenner.
- The forthcoming gigs for the EU tour are gonna contain songs from every period (does that mean at leats 1 from each album ?)
- Best Lena's memory was the MDB gig in Le Bataclan in Paris coz we French are f**** mental

[Danhod]

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=179176

Video interview ( Aaron > Lena ) , im in love !

Continuing for AT LEAST other ten years? Yes to that!

[Lychfowel]

One month and two days left of itching

[Danhod]

One month and two days left of itching

Then we can get scratching, the vinyl that is

If you didn't get it: http://www.discjockey101.com/scratching.html

[DarkLink]

[quote= Aaron Stainthorpe]we have some leftover songs and they are going to be on a new EP, which will be out at the beginning of the next year and we’re gonna shoot a video for that as well and Charlie will be doing both.[/quote]

Thats cool to hear that as well ! 5 new songs in January 2013 then ? The itw is awesomely complete and I need more time than just 5 minutes to read it entirely.

[Danhod]

http://www.reflectionsofdarkness.com/-artists-k-o-interviews-87/11971-interview-my-dying-bride-september-2012.html
and a new interview

I thought they would be getting more sales now than before with promotion online and what not, on the upside, downloading music illegally might tempt people into buying records that they may have otherwise not considered.

The book sounds like a good idea... do it Aaron!

[Lychfowel]

My Dying Bride...the doom that keeps on giving. Great interview, looking forward to everything. One month and half a day left

[Lychfowel]

One month to go!

[Andrew]

Hail,

The l.p. comes in at 60mins normal and maybe 65/66 with the bonus track.

thanks for the positive reviews on Kneel Till Doomsday, great to see we are on the right track.

Andy

[DarkLink]

Great to hear we got more than an hour of My Dying Bride to discover ! Plus the documentary, thats gonna be definitely a great release.

[Lychfowel]

Yeah I don't have a negative thing to say about "Kneel till Doomsday". Great lyrics, great vocal performance, great production, love those murky guitars, it's all great. I've come to the point where I worry the rest of the album won't ... no I'm not going there. Not now. And I don't really believe the rest of the album won't be great, it's just a worry.

[Danhod]

Yeah I don't have a negative thing to say about "Kneel till Doomsday". Great lyrics, great vocal performance, great production, love those murky guitars, it's all great. I've come to the point where I worry the rest of the album won't ... no I'm not going there. Not now. And I don't really believe the rest of the album won't be great, it's just a worry.

Yeah it's gonna be shit, going straight in the bin

I love groovy guitar riffs so I hope there's some in there lol

[Andrew]

Album inner art leaked here. Amongst other hidden treasures.


http://vk.com/albums-29280

[muskurov]

Album inner art leaked here. Amongst other hidden treasures.


http://vk.com/albums-29280

thank you very much, Andrew. They're very good. My fave is Hamish. Is he looking at the empty chair?

[Lychfowel]

Wow, thanks, I love hidden treasures
I see that the butterfly motif has returned, is there a specific reason for this? I guess that's a question for Aaron Great artwork, really haunting and fitting for the band and the music. Checking out <butterfly symbolism> I can see how this little insect fits into the lyrical imagery of My Dying Bride: a butterfly can symbolize a person's soul, "whether they be living, dying or already dead". The butterfly can also symbolize rebirth. In the Philipines, a lingering black butterfly or moth in the house is taken to mean that someone in the family has died or will soon die. There are more, but these seem to fit the band very well. Also, I'm probably reading too much into things, impatient as I am with the new release. Less than a month to go...

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly#Symbolism)

[Andrew]

My mistake,

apparently not leaked the inner art shots are on the minisite Peaceville just released.

A serious collector at work there though.

So all good.

Andy

[Frits]

Haha, love the interviews. Great news, it looks like I'll need to save some money for the EP and book!

[Danhod]

My mistake,

apparently not leaked the inner art shots are on the minisite Peaceville just released.

A serious collector at work there though.

So all good.

Andy

I thought that

[Andrew]

The Chap doesn't say much but what he does say is positive.

Pick through bones.

http://feedbackmetal.com/2012/09/21/my- ... es-review/

[Lycaon]

"...by one of metal’s most underrated drummers Shaun Taylor-Steels." Aye, so much is true. Anything else the review says might be true as well, but that's hard to judge with as little information on the album as we have.

[Lychfowel]

I'm so impatient

[UnAs]

''They are undoubtedly masters of their craft and may never be bettered''..

[Lychfowel]

I had a few of those as well but only My Dying Bride are still releasing good stuff, so it's really only MDB being an event for me. And Bal-Sagoth should they ever release a new album.

[Lychfowel]

I see A Map of All Our Failures for sale on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/My-Dying-Bride- ... 27cb2f526c

[Lycaon]

I wouldn't be much surprised if there is a correlation between AMOAOF not having leaked and the extreme small amount of reviews at this point. Probably most of the metal orientated media didn't get a taste of the album so far either.

[muskurov]

I wouldn't be much surprised if there is a correlation between AMOAOF not having leaked and the extreme small amount of reviews at this point. Probably most of the metal orientated media didn't get a taste of the album so far either.

Had the same thought the other day.

[DarkLink]

One of the reasons the new album didnt't leak yet is certainly due to the clever choice the band made in putting online the first track. That flooded most of the references when googling "A map of all our failures".

On the other hand, being really careful to whom you're sending the demo is also a way of avoiding pirates to put it online too quickly I guess.

[Lychfowel]

Well I'm impatient and I won't download any leakage. At least that's what I'm telling myself. 18 days...

[muskurov]

tasting every (nano)second of antecipation.

18 days...

Lychfowel could you give us the countdown in nanoseconds

[Lychfowel]

Lol. I'm not sure I could keep that up.
Anyway,
8.64 × 1013 x 18 nanoseconds to go...

I still remember the good old days when you had to wait for release day to hear a band's new album. I yearn for those days...music listeners today are far too impatient and privileged, like a kid being given sweets every five minutes and expecting everything at their beck and call! I'm really looking forward to the new album, but an 18 day wait will be piss easy.

Of course, at that time, there was only the release day. I'm not sure if it's impatience, or rather the fact that people download a leak because they can, not necessarily because they are so incredibly impatient. When I say I'm impatient I mean that in a good way; as in, I am so excited about this, I can hardly wait, but in reality it's "just" a recording (or controlled demolitions of my hope), and it's not a big deal at all. At all. I think it's a bit unfair to say 'music listeners are far too impatient and privileged' and 'expecting everything..', considering that metal fans are much more devoted to buying physical product than many other listeners.

I am not defending online piracy, by the way. Just sayin' it isn't all black and white Besides, if you wait for release day, open the pre-order or go buy the CD at the nearest store, and go home to enjoy the first-time experience, nothing has really changed from "the good old days" right? Except maybe - maybe - you've heard people talking about the leak they downloaded.

If, say, the new MDB album was leaked today, a person downloading it wouldn't necessarily have to be a spoiled impatient brat - they just don't care as much about physical product, or what the official release day is, they just want some new music on their ipod or whatever they are using these days, and then the next day they download something else - and probably never buy the CDs.

Hope this was a clear opinion and inoffensive. And still so happy about a new MDB album, and thanks for the link to that new interview, awesomety

[Danhod]

I'll be honest, I always download albums, to see what a particular band is like, or to try to get into their music if I'm unsure if I like it, very rarely I will buy an album without hearing even a single second of it, because if it's shit it's a waste of money! Life's too short to not explore these things, if it wasn't for downloading, I probably wouldn't have discovered MDB, and wouldn't have consequently brought every album, so illegal downloads can bring bands new fans that would have otherwise not noticed that the band exists. So I'm on the fence with it, copyrights are outdated

If I like an album, I always buy it to support the artist and because I love the physical product, reading the booklet, examining the vinyl / CD, just looking at it on the shelf etc. I haven't got enough money to buy every record I download, but I'm getting round to it!

'Special' albums though such as this one I always wait for the physical product!

[Danhod]

Youtube - sometimes crap quality, and doesn't always have the full album

[Danhod]

Unless someone uploads a 82kbps track

Quite a lot of underground music that I'm into isn't on YouTube (really underground lol)

[song^^]

Youtube - sometimes crap quality, and doesn't always have the full album

i think youtube is great to check out albums, so i can decide if it is worth to buy it or not. the quality is ok for that. i never download anything. i still only listen to CDs and LPs. my Ipod does not work after about 3 years, i will not buy one more...crap.

I do the same, usually listening to a song or two is enough to know if I want to buy the album and Youtube is good for that except for some underground material; but my Ipod works okay

Obviously with My Dying Bride I don't need that because they always release quality material, and now we have a full song of new album and it's a good song

[Danhod]

on amazon are samples of every song

Oh bollocks, I listened to one of the samples, I shall wait!

[Lychfowel]

Must...resist....everything...

[Danhod]

Commence legal action

[Danhod]

Guys, no warnings at all. Yesterday I saw on Youtube "a map of all our failures" (album leak), but don't worry, it's a fake!

And how did you find out it was a fake?

[Danhod]

Is this the first album cover without a winged creature on it? Or is there some cockroach, fly or moth hidden somewhere in the shadows?

A Line of Deathless Kings, As the Flower Withers, Turn Loose the Swans original cover, The Angel and the Dark River.

[song^^]

Ohm good samples !!!

[Lycaon]

Just found a very informative Dutch review for AMaOF. It basically sums up what happens in which song, which might be spoilerish to some, which is why I choose not to post its contents here.

The grade given to the album seems a bit unrealistic though: 99/100. But it's promising all the same.

[Lychfowel]

Whoa, that album review made me really anticipate the album even more. I have been able to stay away from the samples, but just reading about what I can expect is making me giddy. Eleven days...

[Danhod]

I broke down and listened to the samples....and.....wow.

There appear to be some unbelievable vocal melodies this time around........I CAN'T wait for this release!

I also gave in to the samples, they don't give away too much, they're depressing

[Lychfowel]

No. Please, no! I don't want to cave in so close to the release date

[Danhod]

No. Please, no! I don't want to cave in so close to the release date

I did, wow, this track's refreshing! Love it, there's this nice riff that's going to stay in my head all day lol

Whoever skipped the second half, that's the best bit (for me)

[Danhod]

Or, better, there's the full album on soundcloud,except "The Poorest Waltz".

Better? ... It's leaked??

[Lychfowel]

Must have been a mistake putting them on there, but now that it has been discovered, well there went my determination and now I've heard "A Tapestry Scorned", the first minutes of "A Map of all our Failures" and "Abandoned as Christ". Oh well. *NOW* I'm going to go all celibate and wait for the 14th (hopefully my preorder arrives on the day). Not going to weigh in with first impressions here and now but...

[DarkLink]

I think this leak is a problem for the band.

[Lychfowel]

It has leaked elsewhere as well, so now it's done. But ten days from release date has got to be a new record or something.

*Edit: It was a mistake, those files were supposed to be set to private, and are now removed from the account.

[DarkLink]

It has leaked elsewhere as well, so now it's done. But ten days from release date has got to be a new record or something.

*Edit: It was a mistake, those files were supposed to be set to private, and are now removed from the account.

Sorry but Hail Odysseus is still listenable.

[Lychfowel]

Yes, but that track came from another user.

[DarkLink]

Oh, so you meant that at first, the leak came from a user of this forum ?!

[Lychfowel]

No, I just recognized the user name and warned him that he hadn't set his files to private.

[Lycaon]

Upon request of the band I have removed the links to the AMoAOF songs, I ask you to honour this decision and not repost the links, or post new ones.

[DarkLink]

Did they also ask the other leaker to delete Hail Odysseus as well ?

[Lycaon]

Did they also ask the other leaker to delete Hail Odysseus as well ?

As far as I know Peaceville is taking care over these matters.

[Danhod]

*Feels bad for listening to two unauthorised samples*

*Remembers how good they were, and that it will be arriving soon*

*Smiles*

[Danhod]

Still not listening.

Same here

Lifes too short, you might die tomorrow, and you would have never heard that song cheery thought... it is the MDB forum haha

[Lycaon]

Well, as a recipient of both the streaming download and the promo CD, the former is a secured link for Peaceville-approved reviewers and the latter is digitally watermarked to identify where it came from should it turn up illicitly on the web. But it would be nice to think that respect for the band would prevent most people from misusing any such pre-release material.

Anyway, for anyone who may be interested, our review is here:
http://www.doom-metal.com/reviews.php?album=2314
and the accompanying interview with Aaron here:
http://www.doom-metal.com/interviews.php?entry=1094
(Rather suspect I was rubbish at phone interviewing, but Aaron was a perfect gent about it all!).

I somehow missed the above post while screening bulks of spam. Quoting it here because it might contain some information you wouldn't want to miss.

[Lycaon]

Most welcome, and my sincere apologies of course.

[Lycaon]

It appears 'Hail Odysseus' has been put online in order to promote A Map of All Our Failures in the U.S. Nevertheless, internet being global as it is, click here to get a sneak preview of the song.

[Lychfowel]

Spoilerish about vibes:
[color=#004040]There are several 'vibes' coming off this album - there's a smattering of The Barghest o'Whitby, a little 'The Light at the End of the World' indeed, and lots of 'For Lies I Sire'-vibes too, somewhat unexpectedly perhaps. I base this on one listen to the first half of three or four songs, through bad speakers, so I may be way off here. I am pretty sure within a month or two we'll all be feeling only the 'A Map of all our Failures'-vibes [/color]

[Lychfowel]

I'm so happy we have a new My Dying Bride album next week and even happier I've managed to stay off it for the most part for once. Peaceville is doing a great job promoting the album and keeping us on our toes with interview vids and all that. While watching and listening to the latest clip with Aaron and Lena, I got curious about Aaron's comment about the lyrics he writes that don't fit with the songs and thus get discarded. Would be very interested in reading those, perhaps they could be included in a book or some such Hearing him again also reminded me of that night so long ago when I spoke with Aaron (this was on the Like Gods of the Sun tour) and he was indeed much more chirpy off stage than on
Woot, can't wait to proudly wear a new MDB shirt, leaf through the lyrics and listen to the new album and watch the documentary..it's gonna be a good week for us all.

NP: "Turn Loose the Swans"
The fumes of rich swine!!1

[Danhod]

Peaceville, it might take 4 days to get here, SHIP THEM NOW

[Lychfowel]

Yeah, I was kind of hoping though I know I should know better that there would be a nice little package awaiting me in the mail.. but there was only advertisements and bills. A controlled demolition of all my hopes

[Danhod]

A controlled demolition of all my hopes

[Danhod]

Lol I'm sure you posted that somewhere before

[muskurov]

At least over here, A Map of All Our Failures was released today. Now it sits safely on my work desk, waiting for me to get off work.

Good for you

Isn't a Monday a weird day for a release anyway?

Everyday is a good day for a new MDB release. And the best day is always Today.
I'll probably won't be checking this thread until I get to hear the album. Don't want to spoil the bliss.

[Lychfowel]

Woot, got an email confirming the sending of my preorder
Won't be here tomorrow, I'm sure, but Monday or Tuesday seems likely.
And my brother-in-law just appeared with the newest Terrorizer issue with My Dying Bride which I am going to read now (and scan).
MDB FTW

[song^^]

The new album is near... while we can hear 'A poorest waltz' from a spanish radio podcast, about minute 7:50 : http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/audios/el-v ... 2/1549097/

[Danhod]

Argh! Y MY COPY NO ARRIVE!?!

[Lycaon]

I have made a habit out of ordering a yet to be released record at a local record shop who usually have it in stock a couple of days before release. That said, I have given AMOAoF a couple of good spins now, and I find it to my liking. Guess I will have to listen to it a couple of times more to have something witty to say about it.

[Lychfowel]

Been prowling around the mailbox all damn day with no luck Oh well, giving The Barghest o'Whitby a few more spins, still not tired of that lil' big masterpiece.

[Lycaon]

The official My Dying Bride site appears to have made its traditional make over honouring the upcoming album.

[Danhod]

Come a long way since the line of deathless kings layout

[Andrew]

Could it be because it's a New Moon on 15th October?


Andy

[Andrew]

http://heavymetal.about.com/od/mydyingb ... Review.htm

Rarely has a review made me smile so much but this guy is saying things we said while writing Map and has quite cleverly grasped in many places the point of it all. no doubt they won't all be like this but hey going to take the rough with smooth as they say.

Andy

[Lychfowel]

Yeah, today is the day and I have to work overtime Oh well, I have to admit I have heard it two times now, you know just to whet the appetite. First time I was a bit like huh? and the second time I was a bit like Oohh.. and I am sure that when I have the actual product spinning as I enjoy the booklet I'll be like Yeeeaaaaah.

[Lychfowel]

Funny that you should mentioned that, because A Tapestry Scorned was the only song I was a bit meh about during the first listen!! It felt so disjointed and unstructured, but it clicked pretty much right away the second round, so.. I want to say more but I'll save it all for a big motherload of a review.

[Lycaon]

@ Lychfowel: I am curious if you change your mind on A Tapestry Scorned after you have read the lyrics along with the music, since I think particulary in this song the story and the music blend very well together. It send shivers down my spine the first time I heard it.

@Porooh: To my knowledge it doesn't happen that often that MDB has the luxery of so many songs they can permit themselves to add an extra one on the special edition. And in a way I am happy that they did, it makes this special edition feel even more worth while. But perhaps they are planning to include it anyway on their oncoming EP.

@ The She-Wolf: Enjoy, seems like a nice setting!

[Lycaon]

I think Matt is right, Two Winters Only was clean electric. Combined with the fiddly violin I am sure The Poorest Waltz is the closest thing MDB ever did to composing a folk song.

[Danhod]

Still not arrived for me

[Danhod]

It's a bit evil that band members can post on the forum but Woz still can't. LOL!

So then Woz what's your take on the album?

I held the album in my hands in HMV, but didn't get it, thinking it would be waiting for me when I got back home, but it wasn't there hahaha

[Danhod]

Where can I buy the new album to just download? Like.. NOT freaking itunes or whereever, I hate that program.

I don't do 'real' CDs. But I don't wanna illegally download or anything +good girl+ not that I listened to it on Youtube or anything earlier...

Go on, it's a special occasion, get the CD!

If you really don't want the CD you could just buy it, rip it to the computer then sell it on eBay... money-back!!!

[Danhod]

But I want it nooooow

iTunes

[Danhod]

Does itunes let me download as mp3 format? Sorry, I'm an utter dimwit when it comes to this modern tech stuff :p I only JUST bought an mp3 player, smart phone and ereader in the past 2 months or so lol

I think so, MP3 360kbps (for this record, anything lower is criminal ) or it's better to buy the CD and wait.

[Danhod]

I had a note in the mailbox saying a neighbour was given a package for me but then it was something for my wife

Hahaha That's always happening to me, but I'm not married, doubt I will be by 23...

[song^^]

After a first listen I'm totally surprised, it's a very risky album. Perhaps not so risky as '34788%...' was but...
I will not say more for now because everyone has to find out for himself.

[bagingkle]

Still digesting the new record. Need to listen many more times before I form a solid opinion, but DAMN this is slow! I already like it more than FLIS (which was a dissapointment for me), so of to a godd start. Pretty much, this album contains none of the crytpic/sinister stiyle of riffing found on Barghest, but contains a consistently melodic type of riffing.

One surprise: Did anyone else see the post from Andy earlier in the thread abut the growl to clean vocal ratio? He stated 60 % clean/40 % growl! Is it just me, or is it more like
90% clean/5% spoken/5 % growl?????? Maybe that means there is a lot more growling on the EP, I don't know!

[Lychfowel]

I'll be honest and say that the My Dying Bride I like the best, is the My Dying Bride with a fair amount of growling but also includes Aaron's fantastic clean vocals - "Turn Loose the Swans", "The Light at the End of the World", "Songs of Darkness, Words of Light" and "The Dreadful Hours" are the albums where I feel I'm getting the best of both worlds. So I was very excited to read about the 60%-40% ratio, and surprised when the new album indeed was more like 95%-5%.
Once that disappointment was dealt with, however, it was time to get into the album for what it is (and not what it isn't).
It's funny how I really didn't like "A Tapestry Scorned" the first time around. I just listened to it for the third time (trying to be sparse about listening to it, to savor the flavor a long time; I also have the new Enslaved to listen to, which is likewise an album that needs time to be digested). Anyway, now I was flooded with emotion listening to "A Tapestry Scorned", it really soars now. Lovely how this track went from least favorite on the first listen to a favorite

"Kneel till Doomsday" is still the standout track, not only because its the oldest tune on the disc if I understood correctly, but also because it is the best. The last half of the album is still a bit of a (slow) blur for me, but "Abandoned as Christ" is beginning to show its teeth and (pun intended) nails. This album I'm sure is a grower.
I mean, I didn't really appreciate "Songs of Darkness..." until about 2008-09 or so, so I don't care if I'm initially not vowed.

[Lychfowel]

I've submitted my review to the Metal Archives, will let you know when (and if) it's put up.

[Danhod]

Lord if you exist you shall bring the doom to my door today...

Edit - He just delivered it

[Danhod]

I was able to get lost in the MDB experience.

lol

The opening riff of A Tapestry Scorned is doomy as hell That violin just after halfway through the song is just evil

[Andrew]

Hi All,

to explain my growls vs clean 60% 40% or whatever i said there were factors involved that now don't apply.

Firstly there are songs we recorded that never made the lp which may have confused the issue.

Secondly i honestly thought overall including the tracks not on the l.p. it seemed a fair balance but in retrospect it probably still isn't.

So for the growl fans i'm not apologizing as if it were me there would be more growls but there isn't and it's unlikely to change in the future too.

So just enjoy what you have you miseries!

Andy

[Lychfowel]

And enjoy I do! This album is growing for every listen. Right now I am so in love with the part that begins at 04:08 in the title track! It's so beautiful, so powerful, so fucking gripping Congratulations on another sublime piece of work, you remain the best

[Danhod]

And enjoy I do! This album is growing for every listen. Right now I am so in love with the part that begins at 04:08 in the title track! It's so beautiful, so powerful, so fucking gripping Congratulations on another sublime piece of work, you remain the best

Just getting round to that song, the excitement! hahaha

[Danhod]

Just finished listening to the whole thing, wow, as someone else said, its's ssslllooowww which isn't bad, perfect for drunk late night listening but it's damn depressing for the daytime haha.

Very impressed. One thing (I think) is missing though... piano :O but I love the organ just as much. Need more listens.

[Frits]

Guess I should enter a record store pretty soon huh Gonna do that this week.

[Lycaon]

Weird...I enjoyed the first few tracks immensely! But then I got distracted and suddenly wasn't quite in the right mood for it anymore.

More or less the same happened to me as well after A Tapestry Scorned. And in my case I tend to think this is because of a pavlov reaction at the end of A Tapestry Scorned. The last minute or so of this song are all about closure: the story; the riffs; and the storyteller's tone all circle around it. Then A Tapestry Scorned is to me - at this point - far more outspoken than especially the beginning of Like A Perpetual Funeral. Perhaps even being overshadowed a bit when it comes to intensity, which I think makes it harder to fully focus on this latter song. Of course this might all change when I come to grips with Like A Perpetual Funeral a bit more.

Lest my point be taken ill, I mean to say that hardly any lyrics on A Map of All Our Failures stand on their own merits well enough to be called poetry, to be quoted in isolation or to be described as profound or challenging; rather, they seem to serve the role of accompanying the music itself, which most people in Metal do not mind, but an ardent admirer of My Dying Bride must find intolerable. Only when coupled with music will they begin to grow on me, of this I have no doubt, but that special poetic quality of old seems to have been lost for ever, which is most unfortunate.

I disagree on this point. I think the lyrics are the best we have seen since Songs of Darkness, Words of Light. And although I agree the lyrics are very much shaped for the songs, I think they deserve a bit more subtle a description than merely scrapping the label poetry entirely.

Firstly, it shows from the booklet that the lyrics weren't completely surrendered to the music since every now and then they differ with the words sung in order to retain their natural rythm when you read them without the music.

Secondly, Aaron did state in the interviews that he did select lyrics on how well they fit with a song because mostly the music was written first. With the purpose to make a coherent song in mind, I think he did a fairly good job. (Relatively easy for a skilled lyricist to write poetry, but very hard for a musician to fold a song neatly around it.)

Then there are no Deeper Downs or TLATTEOTW's with room for twelve verses. Rather, there are songs with greatly variating riffs, that, and most riffs are so slow there is amply room for lyrics in the first place. I other words, quite a challange to come up with lyrics that both in content and rythm are poetry as you would expect it in a poetry bundle.

Basically, given the circumstances I think Aaron did a great job. We've got some folklike stories such as A Tapestry Scorned and Hail Odysseus, More ambiantic (is that even a word?) songs such as Like A Perpetual Funderal and A Map Of All Our Failures, and songs that encourage to read between the lines such as Kneel Till Doomsday and Abandoned as Christ. Something there for all I'd say.

[bagingkle]

Hi All,

to explain my growls vs clean 60% 40% or whatever i said there were factors involved that now don't apply.

Firstly there are songs we recorded that never made the lp which may have confused the issue.

Secondly i honestly thought overall including the tracks not on the l.p. it seemed a fair balance but in retrospect it probably still isn't.

So for the growl fans i'm not apologizing as if it were me there would be more growls but there isn't and it's unlikely to change in the future too.

So just enjoy what you have you miseries!

Andy

Of course you don't have to apologize! I was just curious. Sounds like the Ep will have more growls for those who crave them anyway. I found in interesting that if it were up to you there would be more growls, but maybe Aaron does not feel this way, and that is completely fine .

Anyhow, Listened to the entire LP again last night, had my first chance to read the lyrics and check out the booklet: awesome! This may be the doomiest, slowest thing the band had ever recorded. Highlights at this time: The Poorest Waltz, Like A Perpetual Funeral (amazing chorus with layered vocal melodies, WOW), My Faults Are Your Reward (one of the best violin melodies ever! It is haunting, ethereal, full of emotion. This song should not be a bonus song!), and In the Presence Of Absence. There really is not a track I dislike, although A Tapestry Scorned and Abandoned As Christ drag a little bit for me.

I will say a bit more aggression or chunky palm muted riffs may have balanced the album out (I think it needed a few more peaks and valleys tempo wise). It doesn't have that much less death than Turn Loose The Swans, but needed a bit more. Kneel Til Doomsday is the only track that comes across as consistently diverse (tempo wise). This is a minor qualm, as the quality of the music is well above FLIS. I think the melodies have improved significantly compared to Barghest as well, great job there!

[Danhod]

I can see how 'My Faults Are Your Reward' was chosen to be the bonus track, it's a bit happy sounding with the rhyming and slightly cheesy singing at the beginning IMO The track seems to stand alone when looked at with the rest of the record, it seems a bit more upbeat?

I loved FLIS and ALODK equally in their own right, I think this is a step up from FLIS though.

[Lychfowel]

I love this time right after an album is released, wanting to listen to it all the time but trying to keep it to a minimum of once a day so as to prolong the experience. Beginning to recognize where certain parts show up, and be like, "Oh yeah this part is great!", still finding neat little touches here and there, and favorite track changing daily. The songs that at first I found less interesting have become more interesting, I've begun to pick up some cool sinister lines (how doomy is "The air itself avoids me")?

It's also interesting to find parts that remind me of earlier material, often not because it is similar but because it contains the same atmosphere or style, such as "Hail Odysseus" which reminds me of another epic story in the form of music, "The Light at the End of the World". I'm also thinking the lyrics seem to match the music pretty well.

I do find the overall sound and pace of the album to fit gothic romanticism, I mean, this is music that easily could be used in combination with the graveyard poets' musings on mortality.

I already regret submitting a review of the album so early, because there is still so much to enjoy and explore. On the other hand there's a difference between early impressions and later indulgences.

What I am sure of now, is that 'A Map of All Our Failures' is another non-failure, and I am honestly astounded the band has been able to release so many quality albums over such a long time. No other metal band has that I am aware of (subjectively speaking, of course).

Not sure yet where I rank this album. Still getting used to the slowness of it all. One thing about the slowness though; this time around I find the songs far more compelling in their crawl; take for example the exquisite "Abandoned as Christ", even though it's slow, it has so many good moments; the hurtful sound of the opening, the female choir/keys adding atmosphere about halfway through, the Deathspell Omega-like riff, the church organ coming in, it's perhaps the darkest song on the album.

Right now, I'm ranking it the best song along with "Kneel till Doomsday", with the rest following very close behind. The only song right now I've not come to grips with is "Like a Perpetual Funeral."



Edit:
As for "My Faults are Your Reward", it's fricking lovely. Those harmonies in the beginning had me at first listen, just like the harmonies in the beginning of "The Isis Script" had me right away back in...when was that? Venerated turd! 1999! The violins are also fantastic in this song. It is rather different from the album, but I feel "Kneel till Doomsday" sticks more out than this one overall. Ah, I don't care. With the deluxe edition in hand, it doesn't really matter.

[Lycaon]

The title track appears to be better than I originally thought. Much credit to the elusive nature of the song. Pleasant sursprise indeed.

[DarkLink]

Man, this is so frustrating ! As I am travelling for a month in October, I wont be able to get a hand to my copy before 2 weeks. Thanksfully, Terroizer is actually giving the priviledge to listen to a few songs from the new album: http://www.terrorizer.com/blog1.php/2012/10/15/hear-four-tracks-of-the-new-my-dying-bride-album-a-map-of-all-our-failures-and-watch-track-by-track-video-interview

I got my first shiver around 5:00 min after the beginning of A Tapestry Scorned and that was quite impressive to hear Shaun actually reminding me some old Martin's parts with the organ.

This album seems indeed strongly marked by slow tempos and agonizing guitars. For instance, I really enjoyed listenning to the guitar melody at the end of The Poorest Waltz. I kinda like it even if I can't already write a full review atm. Might do that later though.

[Lychfowel]

Album is only getting better and better for each listen. Also, the lyrics are quite good and perhaps the best since I don't know a long time (especially Kneel till Doomsday, The Poorest Waltz, Abandoned as Christ).

Alas, the music does fade...

[UnAs]

A Map of All Our Failures is fuckin' amazing!
My Dying Bride has done a GREAT job AGAIN!
Thank you guys for that

[Lychfowel]

Finally got around to watch the bonus DVD, that was quite entertaining and felt so honest. Loved getting these glimpses, although I have to admit I was starved for some decent concert footage of a whole song or ten
Wonder when the video for "The Poorest Waltz" will be ready for consumption? Also wonder what songs they will pick from the album to perform live, and which songs will have to be omitted. Pretty sure "...Waltz" will be played (can only assume this song will be delicious live), hopefully "Kneel till Doomsday".

[Lycaon]

PS: The Poorest Waltz is indeed a good song. I'm curious how the video to the song will look like.

I hope with dancing shadows projected on a wooden wall in a dusty cabin. Atleast that's the visual I get when listening to the song.

[song^^]

I'm quite disappointed with the album, although I have to admit that my expectations were very high and seems that people are liking it.
I enjoy some parts of the songs but not the complete song, probably it's too much funeral doom for me. The more enjoyable are the first half of 'Hail odysseus', first half of 'A map of all our failures', some passages of 'Within the presence of absence' and the cool leading riff of 'Kneel till doomsday'.

[Falko]

My copy arrived yesterday and after a few spins I also want to share my first impressions.

The first thing that came into my mind when listening to the new album was "phew, what a fat guitar sound! Just line in the old days". I really like the later albums with their very "polished" guitar sound from the POD, but when listening to the new album I realized that it lacked something present in the earlier releases.

Next thing that I found very interesting is the IMHO very versatile use of vocals, which give the complete sound on the album much more depth than in any previous release. Actually I like it even more that the use of growls. I don't miss them at all because there is still so much variety in the vocals.

The songwriting remind me of the era between TLTS and TLATEOTW (especially some guitar melodies remind me of TLATEOTW) but by no means MDB seem to copy themself. The songs are not that easy to grasp as the songs on FLIS are. I actually liked FLIS a lot when listening to it the first time, but after 3 years the only song that will remain in my list of "all time faves" from this album is maybe "Echoes from a hollow soul" - therefore I can not pick favourites from the new album at this early point in time . I'll have to listen to it a lot more times, wait and see...

After all, the conclusion of my first impression after listening to the album for 5 times or so: It sounds amazing, I really like it a lot and would strongly recommend it to my friends who are not that much into MDB.

Just my 2 cents
Falko

[Lychfowel]

I think there are a lot of great "one-liners" to quote on this album, there are more twisted/sinister pieces here than we've had in a long time (on 'For Lies I Sire', I loved the line "A forest of torn victims", it kind of echoes the more morbid lyricism on earlier works). On 'A Map of All Our Failures', I love gems like...

"I would love to bury the dead again"
"A panic of rich desire"
"Long shadows cast by old sins"

... and those are just from one song!

[Danhod]

My faults are your reward, love it, really do, but not as much as most of you peeps seem to

[Lycaon]

Thanks for your thorough review Photophobia, a very interesting read.

I haven't listened to the album for a couple of days now. Leaving a piece of music alone for a while makes it feel to be better afterwards, from my experience.

[Lychfowel]

"The Poorest Waltz" has a very vivid 'rustic' / rural vibe to it that made me think of the opening scene of Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the D'Urbervilles." But after the final verse, I was like "Whoa!" Unless I misread it, the final lines reveal that the dancers are asylum inmates that are granted a brief reprieve, but must return to their cells. The image in the booklet of the hallway and open doors sort of drove this point home further. Is that how the rest of you have interpreted this song?

That's exactly how I interpreted "The Poorest Waltz". It's a great piece of fiction, and definitely original in the way its written. Lovely song.

[muskurov]

And, believe you me, ‘Abandoned as Christ’ is a close contender for a personal favourite on A Map of All Our Failures: what a wondrous, necessary song it is!

I know it changes the whole song, but when I sing along with 'Abandoned as Christ' I prefer "Where was I when God most needed me?"

[bagingkle]

OK, I have listened to the album about 20 times at this point. here are my thoughts:

1. Kneel Til' Doomsday - a good song, but not the best track to lead of the album. The mid tempo and fast metal riffs abundant between the opening and closing riffs really aren't present anywhere else on the entire album. I think it is a bit misleading to have all of these riffs present right off the bat, and then have those elements largely removed from the remainder of the LP. If these elements are in the first song, you expect it to show up again in other songs! I'm also not fond of the fact that the last 3 minutes of the song are the same riff (the opening doomy riff). The violin helps, but after such a diverse experience across the first 5 minutes, the end is a bit of a letdown for me.

2. The Poorest Waltz. A very good song, but not great. The previous comments about the nature of the lyrics are spot on. I think the album really needed a song around the 5 minute length. Beautiful vocal harmonies, excellent riffing throughout.

3. A Tapestry Scorned. A song I totally disliked initially, it has become one of my favorites on the album. The opening riff really reminds me of early 90's doom such as Cathedral or Paramaecium, and of course the death metal section is powerful as hell. The following riffs with the organ and spoken word sections are equally excellent. One of my favorites.

4. Like A Perpetual Funeral - WOW - absolutely stunning. This song emanates a melancholy and beauty rarely equaled. Listening with my eyes closed, I truly feel I am staring across a black, vast ocean as Aaron sings the chorus. Could have used some violin, but an absolute gem.

5. A Map of All Our Failures - Another song I disliked at first, this song is just as good as the previous two. The violin sections are stunning, equaling the best work of Mr. Powell on the classic albums. Every riff is of the highest quality, and the harmony guitar work over epic chords and a majestic drum beat is one of my favorite MDB moments.

6. Hail Odysseus - Perfect placement in the track order. It was time for things to get more aggressive and heavier, and this is heavy as fuck! I love the keyboard work over the heavy sections, and the layered vocals over the first double bass section are amazing! Another song with consistently excellent riffs, and Aaron's mournful vocals over the last half of the song really bring me back to 'The Angel" album. Great!

7. Within The Presence Of Absence - The most disappointing song on the record, particularly because I LOVE the first few minutes, and the last 1.5 minutes of the song. The vocal melodies and lyrics (your eyes speak more than...) is one of the best things the band has ever done, and Aaron is amazing here. The problem is everything between the beginning and the end: it completely bores me. This song desperately needed some of the more cryptic/sinister doom riffing from Barghest/TLTS/ATFW in the middle, and an up-tempo growling section as well. It starts so good and never reaches it's potential.

8. Abandoned As Christ - This is more like it. Utter Doom! The riff with the open/ringing notes and the convincingly haunting choir/chanting in the background is phenomenal, as are the last 2 riffs (Where was God when I most need him!!). The final riff on this song is one of the only truly sinister/wicked riffs on the entire LP, and it's good to here.

9. My Faults Are Your Reward - A far better album with this song than without it, it outshines at least a few of the other tracks on the album (if not more). Again, the violin melodies over the thick, melodic chords are just heartbreakingly beautiful. This is as good as anything from 'The Angel' - It has that classic, flowing sound, and Shaun is outstanding here! I love the doomy chords in the second half of the song, as Aaron carries out the final note of each vocal line backed by an ethereal choir. This is not a bonus song!

Overall, this is an excellent record . It is far superior, and much more consistent, than FLIS. Yes, I would have liked a few more up-tempo sections and more growls (clearly, the growls would have fit in several additional sections, but Aaron just isn't into growling that much as evidenced by the last 3 full lengths). Aaron's vocal performance is one of his best, even though I don't think he has quite as much control over his vibrato as he did on ALODK. It's right up there with his best work, and some of the melodies (and delivery) are superb.

I also would have preferred a few more of the sinister/cryptic riffs found over the first 7 minutes of Barghest, I did really miss that on this record (they are playing in largely melodic scales on the guitar/bass, and I would have liked to hear something more akin to that wicked feeling their old material used to presents). From 'Hail Odysseus' through "Abandoned as Christ', the violin is only used for about 2 minutes across 24 minutes of music! I don't understand this at all. I know the band does not want it to be a gimmick, but it was used far more frequently on the material from the 90's. particularly between TLTS and LGOTS. It wasn't a gimmick then, and it would not be now! Shaun is too good to be used that little . Does anyone else feel this way?

Ultimately, my complaints are minor as this is SO much better than FLIS. At times, the LP truly moves me, and it has that classic feel of TLTS (with musch less death) or TAATDR. Excellent job MDB, and I look forward to the 'growling' EP next year!

[Lychfowel]

A Swedish title? What the..

Still listening to A Map of all Our Failures daily, and I believe I have come to the conclusion that I do love this work...but I would have loved it even more if there was just a pinch or so more growling on it

[Danhod]

A Tapestry Scorned is one of my favourites

[Danhod]

A Tapestry Scorned is one of my favourites

Don't you always disagree with me, Simon?!

No I never disagree with you

[Lychfowel]

A Tapestry Scorned...so weird how I really didn't like it the first time, it sounded so..disorganized, but it really grows. And grows... I love the production on the album, it's the lack of death metal only that leaves it just shy of being as great as my three favorites, 'Turn Loose the Swans', 'The Light at the End of the World' and 'The Dreadful Hours'.

[bagingkle]

A Tapestry Scorned...so weird how I really didn't like it the first time, it sounded so..disorganized, but it really grows. And grows... I love the production on the album, it's the lack of death metal only that leaves it just shy of being as great as my three favorites, 'Turn Loose the Swans', 'The Light at the End of the World' and 'The Dreadful Hours'.

I feel the same way! I did not like A Tapestry Scorned at first, but know I really look forward to hearing it, it is a class song with excellent diversity. I love the production as well, it sounds like a classic MDB album. More growls, a few more up-tempo rifss, and definitely more violin would have been nice.

Like I said earlier, listen to Turn Loose or The Angel - the violin is used far more frequently. Shaun is outstanding here, and to use him so little is a shame. A Map is just shy of my 3 faves as well - Turn Loose, Dreadful Hours, and The Angel. I am still surprised how close to funeral doom this is at times, This is sooo different from the last 2 LP's.

[DarkLink]

A Tapestry Scorned is one of my favourites

I share your thought, it is also one of my favourite for sure. The way it developed to reach the climax with the organ followed afterwards by the guitars and then the vocal is just really great.

I'm still travelling atm so it's kinda hard to me to write an in-depth review, like the great ones I have read so far but here is my rank for this album:

1- Kneel Till Doomsday (9/10)
2- A Tapestry Scorned (8/10)
3- The poorest Waltz (8/10)
4- A Map of All Our Failures (7/10)
5- Hail Odysseus (7/10)
6- My Faults Are Your Reward (7/10)
7- Like A Perpetual Funeral (6/10)
8- Abandoned As Christ (6/10)
9- Within The Presence of Abscence (5/10)

Overall: 7.5/10

[DarkLink]

With a well-constructed developement and 3 distincts sequences that makes a powerful yet melancholic song, Kneel Till Doomsday is in my humble opinion, the best track the band has released for years.

[Podgie]

I think the album is superb. I didn't have anything against For Lies I Sire at all (on the contrary, I actually thought it was a great record), but it is good to hear them return to a slightly darker/doomier sound. Nice to hear Shaun Taylor-Steels back in the band too, he drummed on my favourite Bride album (The Dreadful Hours) and I think he's a great, underrated/overlooked drummer. At the same time, I'm kind of sad to hear the back of Dan Mullins - I really liked what he did on For Lies I Sire (and he's arguably an even better drummer than Shaun!). Anyway, I'm really enjoying it, and after the release of The Barghest o' Whitby, and now A Map of All Our Failures, I think the band are going as strong as ever.

[Podgie]

Thank you!

It wasn't intended to be a 'review' as such though. Only a very brief summary of my initial thoughts. I may well take the time to review it properly at some point though, once I've allowed myself time to really build a relationship with the music.

[bagingkle]

:beerchug: bagingkle

Enjoyed your review...

Thanks! I enjoyed yours as well. Mine was not as eloquently written as yours , but I think I conveyed how I feel for the most part. Hopefully, my criticisms are not offensive to any in the band who may have read it! I really do enjoy the record - it is certainly epic, majestic, melancholic and haunting. I am still surprised at how slow it is at times, I don't think the band has ever explored funeral doom tempos so consistently in the past!

[J1]

Just got the new album, have been listening to it all day...

Congratulations lads and lady, it's brilliant once again. Sod off you emos and goth wannabes (*), this is what despair sounds like! Love it.

(*)

[DarkLink]

Just got the new album, have been listening to it all day...

Congratulations lads and lady, it's brilliant once again. Sod off you emos and goth wannabes (*), this is what despair sounds like! Love it.

(*)

Hey J1 ! Nice to see you're still here somewhere around

[Lychfowel]

Lots of new AMOAOF-related merchandise available. My wallet curses thee!
http://www.heavymetalonline.co.uk/acatalog/just_in.html

[Lychfowel]

Yeah, love that line. I do wonder how many wolves exactly, though. Also bit of a shame it has the same front print as the preorder shirt, so I feel less excited about this one. Well. When the salary comes I'll probably be buying one of each anyway.

[UnAs]

Lots of new AMOAOF-related merchandise available. My wallet curses thee!
http://www.heavymetalonline.co.uk/acatalog/just_in.html

Hail Odysseus looks good!

[Danhod]

Merch section got a makeover too http://www.mydyingbridestore.com/

I think they need to drop the price of them signed metallic prints

[DarkLink]

there are wolves here, many of them! nice.

[url]
http://www.mydyingbridestore.com/acatal ... ml#aST1684[/url]

Will it be possible for the band to re-edit old artwork like The Light At The End of The World, Turn Loose The Swans, Deeper Down etc on T-Shirts or ZipHoods ? I'd like to buy some of them and I'm sure I won't be the only one.

[Lychfowel]

The Deeper Down shirt should still be relatively easy to acquire. It is, however, the MDB shirt I have that got worn the fastest, losing its color and all after just a few rounds of wearing (Along with the A Line of Deathless Kings shirt).

[DarkLink]

Funny you mentioned that, I just ordered one of this on Amazone today ^^ Think I'll never wash it then

[Lychfowel]

What? Lol, I never noticed. Ah, "The Barghest o'Whitby". What a fantastically chilling piece of grimdark that is. Me loves. Me loves a long time.

[muskurov]

Lots of new AMOAOF-related merchandise available. My wallet curses thee!
http://www.heavymetalonline.co.uk/acatalog/just_in.html

"There Are Wolves Here" shirt is awesome. I got mine at Damnation last week and love it.

An interesting fact. The album has entered german album top 100 charts on # 82. It is the highest position since 1995 and according to the site it was one of the hardest chartweeks of the year.

So congratulations !

Excellent! The band really deserves more german fans

[Danhod]

Just watched the DVD that came with the CD, makes me really want to be in a band someday I'll have the time lol!

[Danhod]

Just watched the DVD that came with the CD, makes me really want to be in a band someday I'll have the time lol!

Why don't you join MDB then?!
Oh! You haven't got the time! And you're probably too good for them, or any other band, for that matter!

Never said I'm too good, I could probably pull off the worlds slowest riff though haha, not having the time isn't an insult, is it? My time and duty is for justice and assistance to the people, Mammon! (or at least it will be soon...)

[Danhod]

The last line brought me to tears, Simon!
But you're going to have a hard time bringing a villian like me to justice! Each time you come close to getting me, I shall come up with a new, nefarious yet brilliant scheme to spoil all that's good and noble! A mere man like you cannot fathom the depth of my evil! What have you got but your good intentions and kind heart; quite useless to defend yourself against my state-of-the-art multi-giga electronvolt plasma weapon! You cannot even find me in my secret underwater base!
I AM INVINCIBLE! Mwahahaha!

Real Name: Hooman Muhammadi
Username:Mammon Iaho Dumah
Location:Standing in the rain
Age:20
Status: 'Metal Acolyte'
Real Location: Secret Underwater Base, Mashhad, Iran
Age: 20 (28/03/2012)
Gender: Male
Studied at: Ferdowsi University of Mashhad
Enjoys quotes by David Hilbert and 'Math Jokes'
Owns a state-of-the-art multi-giga electronvolt plasma weapon

I'm onto you Hooman!

[Danhod]

Off topic

[Danhod]

Off topic

Since when are you a mod?!
Gif-ster!

Math joke liker!

[Danhod]

Detective wannabe!

What's wrong with that? At least there's a good chance of it

[Danhod]

Lol that's too true to argue with!

[Larth]

I hadn't heard anything from the new album yet before this morning. The official End of the World day.. perfect for a new mdb record, I guess. Had time to listen to the first three songs and they sounded pretty cool. Very MDB. So cool that Shaun is behind the drumkit again. Looking forward to listening to the whole album.. and watching that dvd. To the band, thank you for making a new one!

Ps: Aaron looks cool with short (no) hair. Gives him a touch of Samael, somehow..

[Danhod]

I still can't get over just how good this album is.

Is it me or does it sound heavier on vinyl?

[DarkLink]

This was on the MDB official Facebook, in case you missed it.

Old MDB logo voted number one ! This made my day obviously

http://www.decibelmagazine.com/featured ... tal-logos/

[Lychfowel]

It's a great logo. I can only assume that the next release will see it back and more badass than ever (somehow)

[DarkLink]

Hopefuly I pray the god of Doom Metal every night to have it back soon ^^

[Danhod]

Hopefuly I pray the god of Doom Metal every night to have it back soon ^^

If not, I guess we should change the logo at the top of the forum too

[DarkLink]

If not, I guess we should change the logo at the top of the forum too

It is actually pretty relevent, as the back cover of the forum has not changed since the Evinta release...

[DarkLink]

It's been quite a while I didn't go on Metal Archives to check some info so I took the opportunity to check the MDB page and I was gladly surprised to see the nice reviews about the last albums. Have a look: http://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/M ... es/347589/

[Lychfowel]

The "definitely not a failure" review is mine

[muskurov]

The "definitely not a failure" review is mine

And it's a very good one

[DarkLink]

@ Blackgod: pleasure is mine
@ Lychfowel: ""Kneel till Doomsday" is the standout track on the album, not because it differs wildly from the rest of the album, but because it's simply a great song with a lot of variety, good chugging riffs, some death metal aggression to offset the haunted clean vocal parts, but the other tracks are also great though there is less variety within each track."

Indeed, and did you know that this track was actually recorded at the same time as the Barghest O' Whitby ? It tells you a lot about the choice of tones and the method used to build it up: intro - rising - climax - decreasing - epilogue/end.

[bagingkle]

Hi All,

So for the growl fans i'm not apologizing as if it were me there would be more growls but there isn't and it's unlikely to change in the future too.

Andy

Does this statement bum anyone else out (it's unlikely to change in the future too)? I was really hoping that we would get one more full length LP from the band where the growls were more present, something along the lines of TLTS or The Dreadful Hours. As good as Map is (for me it easily surpasses SODWOL and FLIS), I still can't help but feel that a few more death metal sections and growls would have improved the record and provided more diversity. As Aaron often mentions that the Dreadful Hours is one of his favorites, I hope he'll reconsider growling a bit more, even if it's only about 30% of the vocal content. It seems that Hamish and Lena are big death metal fans too with their side projects. Does anyone else feel this way?

[Lychfowel]

Yes.

[Danhod]

Maybe so

[muskurov]

No, not really.

[DarkLink]

Hi All,

So for the growl fans i'm not apologizing as if it were me there would be more growls but there isn't and it's unlikely to change in the future too.

Andy

Does this statement bum anyone else out (it's unlikely to change in the future too)? I was really hoping that we would get one more full length LP from the band where the growls were more present, something along the lines of TLTS or The Dreadful Hours. As good as Map is (for me it easily surpasses SODWOL and FLIS), I still can't help but feel that a few more death metal sections and growls would have improved the record and provided more diversity. As Aaron often mentions that the Dreadful Hours is one of his favorites, I hope he'll reconsider growling a bit more, even if it's only about 30% of the vocal content. It seems that Hamish and Lena are big death metal fans too with their side projects. Does anyone else feel this way?

The real question is: why there won't have more growls in the future ?

And I think this is not all about the singing, it's also about rhythms and general harmony.

When recording an EP, is each instruments recorded separately ? If that is the case, what would happen for the singing parts if the drumm would emphasize heavy and death metal rhythms ?

[Danhod]

MDB has become a storytelling band, good for bedtime snuggles

[The Last Lonely Man]

Have a new found appreciation for this album lately!

I think if you took the deluxe version (with “My Faults Are Your Reward” added to the end)
And took off “A Tapestry Scorned” and “Within The Presence Of Absence”
the album would be damn near perfect!

Only my opinion though...