My Dying Bride’s following and fifth full-length was the somewhat experimental “34.788%...Complete”, released on October 6, 1998 via Peaceville Records.
“When we released it, we released it because we loved it. We knew we had created some interesting stuff, some great songs and we were proud enough to release it and we knew it would be criticized. We took it on the chin and expected everything we got. When I listen to it now, I really think we should have repackaged it because it is brilliant, particularly, the opening song. I think the opening song is phenomenal and some people won’t have even heard it because they skipped the album because it didn’t look like typical My Dying Bride. I can’t believe how good it is despite the criticism it received. It’s a gem and if anyone hasn’t heard it, they should go out and listen to it because I think it’s cracking!” — Aaron Stainthorpe (2010, Metal-rules.com)
This is the only album by My Dying Bride to feature the drumming of Bill Law. It is also the first not to feature long-time keyboardist and violinist Martin Powell, who became a live member of Anathema shortly afterwards, and full-time member of Cradle of Filth two years after the album was released.
The spoken word interlude during "The Whore, The Cook and The Mother" is based on the replicant interrogation method from the movie Blade Runner. Questions are asked in Cantonese and reversed, and singer Aaron Stainthorpe's replies can be heard.
The album's title was derived from a dream that guitarist Calvin Robertshaw had, he was told the human race had a limited lifespan on Earth, 34.788% of which had already expired.
“That was something that Calvin came up with. He claims to have had some weird dream one night about how mankind has a set amount of time on Earth and we’re using it up all the time. He had this weird figure that we had used up 34.788% of our time that God has given us. We thought, “You’re a bit mad, but we like that,” so we used it as our album title.” — Aaron Stainthorpe (2010, metal-rules.com)
The album demonstrated a foray into a more electronic style of music, which was not generally popular with fans. While the album was not well received by some based solely on the albums front cover and negative reviews of the track “Heroin Chic”, others didn’t understand the albums experimental nature. The album has since lauded for its creativity.
In an interview in 2010 with metal-rules.com, Aaron Stainthorpe discussed the fan reactions to the album, stating; “I think it was the packaging more than anything, and again, I was responsible for that (laughs). I wanted a break from the usual Goth imagery, just to see what it would be like. With a title like that and artwork like that, we knew it would be criticized but we were brave enough to still go ahead with it. Now, years later, people love the album, but it was a shock for them back then. The only really obscure track on there was “Heroin Chic”, and if we had taken that off and repackaged the record with a suitable title for My Dying Bride, it would be classed as just another My Dying Bride album. People just found it hard to stomach the album title, the cover and when they heard reviews concerning “Heroin Chic”, it was just too much. People thought, Ffft, I don’t know what’s going on here, but it’s not the MDB we used to know and love!Bizarrely, a few years later, they all love it again! It was a brave thing to do and we weren’t afraid to do it, so we did it anyway!”
When asked about the albums cover, he had this to say; “…this was a piece of artwork that I created when I wasn’t quite all there (laughs). I’d had a drink (laughs)! I wanted something interesting, unusual, unfocused and something that people would talk about.”
The track "Under Your Wings and into Your Arms" appears on both “The Voice of the Wretched” CD and the “Sinamorata” DVD, and the opening track, "The Whore, the Cook and the Mother" appeared on their live DVD, “An Ode to Woe”.
The Japanese version of the album featured a bonus track, entitled "Follower". This track was also featured on the 2003 re-release digipak of the album.
The album was dedicated to the memory of Richard Jackson, father of bassist Adrian.
Critical Reception:
Writing for AllMusic, Jason Ankeny wrote; “While not a creative breakthrough on par with the previous “Like Gods of the Sun”, the intriguingly titled “34.788%...Complete” still reveals new facets of the My Dying Bride sound; the emphasis here is on the dynamic dual guitar work of Calvin Robertshaw and Andrew Craighan, which lends tracks like "The Whore, the Cook and the Mother," "Heroin Chic," and "Base Level Erotica" much of their visceral intensity.”
Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells
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