My Dying Bride were formed in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, on June 6, 1990, after guitarist Andrew Craighan and drummer Rick Miah co-formed the band upon their split from Abiosis, joining vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe and guitarist Calvin Robertshaw.
After six months of rehearsing, the band recorded and released their demo, “Towards the Sinister”, which was produced by Tim Walker of Voltage Records. Its title was taken from a line in the song "Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium".
Towards the Sinister - 1990 Tracklist:
1. Symphonaire Infernus et Sera Empyrium 8:40
2. Vast Choirs 7:30
3. The Grief Of Age 4:27
4. Catching Feathers 3:42
The demo was recorded & mixed from November 24-25, 1990 at Revolver Studios, UK and was co-produced by My Dying Bride.
Overview:
“Towards the Sinister” is the bands first and only demo release. It was independently released on March 9, 1990. At this point, the band were a four-piece consisting of Aaron Stainthorpe on vocals, Andrew Craighan on guitars and keyboards, Calvin Robertshaw on guitars and Rick Miah on drums.
The demo contains four tracks. “The Grief of Age” and “Catching Feathers” are exclusive to this release, while re-recorded and re-worked versions of “Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium” and “Vast Choirs” would reappear on later releases by the band. The former would appear on the “Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium” EP (1992), while the latter would appear on the debut full-length studio album “As The Flower Withers” (1992). The music on the demo slightly differs in sound from the bands later Doom-laden epics. The tempo is moderately paced, with some up-beat sections in places. The bands signature, foreboding Doom sound is also present. Aaron Stainthorpe’s sinister growls are featured throughout. His sorrow filled, clean vocals are something that would not appear until later releases.
The songwriting on “Towards the Sinister” is infallible. But, I must warn you that the production is very lo-fi. In hindsight, the recording is raw, but the songs on this demo exemplified the greatness the band would bring forth on future releases. — E.N. Wells
Follow Us:
To read more about this release and more, subscribe to Into the Wells at: https://intothewellsabyss.wixsite.com/intothewells
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Intothewells.abyss
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/into_the_wells
You can also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/into_the_wells?s=21&t=ISh9VpVYRrOy70MsZZVXTQ
Comments