Review: My Silent Wake – 'Invitation To Imperfection'

MY SILENT WAKE
'Invitation To Imperfection'
OPA LOKA

My Silent Wake have been working hard keeping doom metal relevant, not only within the boarders of Wales but over the course X years and strong albums such as 'The Anatomy Of Melancholy', and 'Damnatio Memoriae' they have gained the respect of fans around the world. Blending ambient and acoustic elements within the core of their doom metal structure. As a result their sound continues to progress and develop in leaps with every album release, and their latest studio effort 'Invitation To Imperfection' is no different.

The album's folksy/medieval and classical elements are front and centre with the album creating a more neofolk tinted darkwave and dark ambient affair that recalls the likes of Arcana, Attrition, Dead Can Dance, Lustmord and Wardruna. Songs such as 'Helgar Kindir', 'Bleak Spring', 'Lament Of The Defeatist', 'Song Of Acceptance', and 'Return Of The Lost At Sea' are haunting with their dark acoustic drones courtesy of folk instruments.

While the likes of 'Volta', 'Aventurine', and 'Nebula' bring in some baroque and classical instruments, as well as synthesizers, for a more grandiose expression of the band's sound. The album's crowning glory has to be the 21-minute-epic journey of 'Melodien Der Waldgeister' with it's long ambling twists as though someone walking through a landscape and happening upon small pockets of musical performers.

Production-wise the album is as solid as you could want from veterans such as My Silent Wake. It may not be their usual territory for such a sustained release but this flipside to the band's sound feels 100% right as though this was their natural state. The songs are intimate yet with cavernous scale, and each fine layer shines through distinctly as part of the greater volume of the work.

Those looking for doom metal might be slightly disappointed but My Silent Wake have never been ones to cater for expectations. With their progressive mindset and previous incorporation of medieval and folk instruments, this still feels like a very natural and organic direction for them. And with over a decade of songwriting experience they know how to craft atmospheres and narratives from their music, not matter what instruments they use, with ease. It is a great effort and one that will undoubtedly be another highpoint in an already impressive discography.  

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Review: My Silent Wake – 'An Unbroken Threnody'

MY SILENT WAKE
'An Unbroken Threnody'
STONE GROOVE RECORDS

For a decade Welsh doom act have proven themselves a bastion of hope in the UK scene. Along with the likes of The Drowning and Tor Marrock they have put Welsh doom on the map and 'An Unbroken Threnody' celebrates a career that takes in thirteen slices of definitive material gleaned from their expansive discography.

Marrying the death doom of early Paradise Lost, the intense and forlorn gothic of My Dying Bride and the unashamed progressive explorations of Anathema, the band distil the essence of UK doom into an effective package.

Songs such as 'And So It Comes To And End', 'Bleak Endless Winter', 'Oblivion', 'Shadow Of Sorrow' and 'The Dying Things We Are Living For' are perfect examples of their bleakest and heaviest moments while the likes of 'Journey's End', 'Mimir's Well' and the stunning 'Sturm' show off their more spacey, delicate and progressive leanings incorporating clean vocals, acoustic guitars and medieval instrumentation to great effect.

In terms of production there are noticeable differences in the quality of the earlier recordings compared to the most recent ones. But the album has been mastered in a nice way that doesn't let these distract from the overall flow of the album.

'An Unbroken Threnody' is a great retrospective celebration and introduction to one of the UK's best doom bands. A band that based on the quality and scope of the song writing on display in this collection will leave heads scratching as to why they are not a much bigger name. But for those already in the know this is a nice compilation to have that distils some of their strongest tracks into one album, while also providing a nice starting point for potential new fans.  

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My Silent Wake release ambient EP

Welsh doom Meisters My Silent Wake have gone into Martin Bowes' (Attrition) The Cage Studios to record an ambient teaser EP in preparation for their upcoming soundtrack Project.

Taking a side-step from their usual sound the new EP consist of two expansive slabs of ambient doom which sees the band joined by Martin Bowes on synthesiser, percussion and effects. Incidently My Silent Wake front man Ian Arkley can also be heard playing guitar on the recent ATTRITION album, 'The Unraveller of Angels'.

The third in an occasional series where bands come to the Cage studio to experiment with different ideas...anything from all new tracks to covers and collaborations and radical reworking of old material. Included in the full EP download on bandcamp only is a PDF wrap round booklet.

Track List:
1. A Death
2. Rebirth II

To order the EP please visit the A Two Gods Production bandcamp page. For more information on My Silent Wake, please visit their official website.

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