Released on October 11, 1993, My Dying Bride’s “Turn Loose the Swans” marked a radical departure from the band's first full-length, “As the Flower Withers”. Martin Powell's violin playing had become fully integrated into the band's sound, whilst vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe mixed spoken word and an often mournful singing voice, along with minor uses of his signature Death growls and grunts. The first ("Sear Me MCMXCIII") and final ("Black God") tracks dispensed with guitars, bass and drums altogether, while the album was also far slower and longer than its predecessor. For these reasons, “Turn Loose the Swans” is often considered to be important in the development of the Doom-Death sound My Dying Bride helped pioneer and also foreshadows the Gothic Metal elements that would dominate their subsequent albums.
Overview:
When asked whether he felt that My Dying Bride had helped to pioneer the “Gothic-Doom” sound that is very much evident in so many bands today, Aaron Stainthorpe replied; “I hear that a lot more than I ever expected. Other people that listen to a lot more music than myself, have said to me that our influence is detected throughout the scene.”
Stainthorpe continues; “Without doing any studying of the different sub-genres in metal, I can’t personally tell, but with so many people telling me this, I am starting to believe that there may be something in what they are saying. I’m trying not to think of it too much because I don’t want to take anything that may not be ‘due‘ to me if you know what I mean. But if other people are saying it and that’s the way they feel, then I’m very happy about that. I honestly don’t pay enough attention to this type of stuff, and I actually tend to avoid a lot of bands that would be considered to be part of the same genre as us because I don’t want to accidentally steal a riff that has become buried in my subconscious [Laughing].” - Overdrive.ie - February 11, 2020.
And, where Stainthorpe is not to quick to give My Dying Bride the credit they so deserve, I will go on on to say that, not only were they influential in the development of Gothic-Doom Metal, they were very influential in the genres of Death Metal and Doom Metal as a whole.
In conclusion; While I loved the Doom-Death of My Dying Bride’s previous releases, I welcomed this new path with open arms. Very few of the bands contemporaries can boast to having released such an undeniable genre-defining masterpiece such as “Turn Loose the Swans”, but My Dying Bride are more than worthy of such a proclamation. Whilst the band’s releases have remained steadfast in regards to their brilliance, there are still few who fail to recognise the exquisitely dark undercurrent of the ever-evocative “Turn Loose the Swans”. — E.N. Wells
Critical Reception:
A review for the album in Rolling Stone (#681, 05/05/94) stated - "Turn Loose the Swans” is Bram Stoker's Dracula for the ears – diving into melodrama with grace and making that aspect of life seem the only part worth living. My Dying Bride take a sickly view of traditional orchestration, coupling it with Aaron's wounded-and-pissed animal groans and growls. Poison line each precious flower petal, as if the band were Laura Ashley's evil twin. Disconsolate guitars and funereal passion – in short, music all too susceptible to adjectives but compelling nonetheless."
In October 2011 it was awarded a gold certification from the Independent Music Companies Association which indicated sales of at least 75,000 copies throughout Europe.
Song Notes:
• Though far from straightforward, Aaron Stainthorpe's lyrics were much less complex than those employed on “As the Flower Withers”. Strainthorpe explicitly addresses themes such as anti-Christianity and lovelorn longing. And being ever the poet, Aaron took the lyrics for "Black God" from the last eight lines of a poem called "Ah! The Shepherd's Mournful Fate" by the 18th-century Scottish poet William Hamilton.
• "Sear Me MCMXCIII" was the second in a trilogy of songs to bear the title, preceded by the Doom Metal orientated "Sear Me" in 1992 and followed by "Sear Me III" in 1999, which is similar in style to the original, being a full band composition. The version on this album however, features only the vocals of Aaron Stainthorpe and the keyboards and violin of Martin Powell. It also features different lyrics to the other two versions.
• A video was made for "The Songless Bird" which features slow motion footage of the band running through wilderness, at this stage becoming something of a tradition. The video can be found on "For Darkest Eyes".
• A remix of "The Crown Of Sympathy" was featured on the band's third single, "I Am the Bloody Earth". This version of the song featured more echoing effects, a shorter outro and a heavy emphasis on Rick Miah's drum sound.
• The 2003 reissue of the album featured as bonus tracks; "Le Cerf Malade", an instrumental from "The Thrash Of Naked Limbs", "Transcending (Into The Exquisite)", a remix of songs from this album taken from the later EP "I Am the Bloody Earth", and a live performance of "Your Shameful Heaven" from the bonus CD of "The Angel and the Dark River".
• Live versions of songs from this album can be found on "For Darkest Eyes" (all songs except "Black God") and "The Voice of the Wretched" (Turn Loose The Swans, The Snow In My Hand and Your River).
Noteworthy:
The artwork for the release was designed and created by Aaron Stainthorpe and Andrew Craighan.
Click this link to listen to “Turn Loose the Swans” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/turn-loose-the-swans/1189328847
Click this link to watch the official music video for “The Songless Bird”: https://youtu.be/zGy5yhCw0vo
Click this link to follow My Dying Bride on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyDyingBrideOfficial
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