Released 33 years ago this October
Turn Loose the Swans
My Dying Bride · 1993
58 min · 7 tracks · doom metal
Melancholic melodies entwine with crushing riffs, creating an atmosphere of despair that defines the death-doom genre.
Top tracks — play these first
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Your River — This track showcases the band's ability to blend sorrowful melodies with heavy guitar riffs, embodying the essence of their sound at its peak.
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The Crown of Sympathy — With its lengthy arrangement and rich orchestration, this track is a standout example of the atmospheric depth My Dying Bride achieved on this album.
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Turn Loose the Swans — The title track encapsulates the album's themes of loss and longing through haunting vocals and intricate instrumentation.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album's blend of heavy riffs and gothic elements creates a distinct sound that influenced the death-doom genre.
What we noticed
- Several tracks incorporate orchestral elements, such as strings, which enhance the melancholic atmosphere.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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8/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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8/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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7/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- haunting emotional crescendos
- back-loaded intensity builds
- immersive late-night solitude
- cathartic reflections on despair
Maybe skip if you
- seekers of upbeat tempos
- prefer standalone tracks
Where this album fits
- Career context
- Release in 1993 marked My Dying Bride's second studio album, following their debut 'As the Flower Withers.' By this point, they had established a unique sound that combined doom metal's heaviness with gothic elements, solidifying their place in the burgeoning death-doom scene.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Anathema· Paradise Lost· Swallow the Sun
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 Sear Me MCMXCIII 7:24
- 2 Your River 9:24
- 3 The Songless Bird 7:00
- 4 The Snow in My Hand 7:09
- 5 The Crown of Sympathy 12:15
- 6 Turn Loose the Swans 10:08
- 7 Black God 4:51
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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