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My Dying Bride - For Darkest Eyes (DVD)
My Dying Bride - For Darkest Eyes (DVD)
2002 - Peaceville Records
By Philip Whitehouse.
An enhanced for DVD version of the longform VHS of the same name, For Darkest Eyes is the perfect multi-media documentation of Britain's most critically-acclaimed and long-lasting doom metal bands, My Dying Bride.
Comprising of a professionally-shot live concert shot in Krakow, Poland, some amateur recordings of earlier shows and all of the band's promotional videos (plus a gallery of album artwork), For Darkest Eyes includes everything that a dedicated follower of the band's fortunes could ever really want.
The live show itself is well directed and shot - slow fades and elegant camera sweeps complementing the dramatic ebb and flow of the music, close ups of vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe capturing his on-stage contortations of abject misery effectively and with crystal clarity, and frantic audience reaction shots punctuating those moments when MDB pull out the stops and blast for all they're worth (as in set-closing show-stopper, The Forever People).
The sound quality of the show too is crystal clear, meaning none of the mournful quality of the music is lost - and since this show was filmed in 1996, Martin Powell is still thankfully present and correct, his violin and keyboard parts adding that extra layer of emotional colouring to the bleakness of MDB's sound.
As for the promo videos - well, the first two (Symphonaire Infernus Et Spera Empyrium and The Thrash Of Naked Limbs) are, generally speaking, as rough around the edges and inelegant as MDB's music was at that period. Grainily shot, but demonstrating through the symbolism in the imagery some of the ambition and thematic ambiguity that began to typify itself as the band's trademark. It's only when we get to 'For You', the most recent video on offer, that we see MDB's imagination in the visual medium match that found in the song it promotes.
The only gripes one could have with this DVD are that its age makes the set-list of the Poland concert seem fairly incomplete - newer material past 'The Angel And The Dark River' makes no appearance. Also, some backstage footage or a documentary feature would have been interesting to see. On the other hand, perhaps a band as ethereal and fascinating as My Dying Bride would prove a disappointment when revealed outside of the bleak environment they create for themselves, so this could be a deliberate omission.
Whatever the reason, this is still a worthy testament to the creativity and longevity of this immensely talented band. Just don't expect to hear anything from 'The Darkest Hours'.
7.5/10
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