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My Dying Bride forms one third of the big three in British Doom along with Anathema and Paradise Lost. While those 2 bands are today playing music that cannot even be called metal, MDB are still carrying the metal torch although it is seemingly with a great amount of sadness that they do.

Turn Loose The Swans was released in 1993 and is easily the most influential doom metal released by any of the three bands. It is in one word Majestic. The music is heavy yet soft, slow yet never boring, melodic but still filled with enough discordant jarring notes to make you sit up and scratch your head in puzzlement. It is in this seeming contradiction that the greatness of this album lies. The band managed to lull you with the sorrowful, melancholic nature of the music and still kick you in the balls with the frenzied chaotic sections. A prime example would be the song "Your River." It has a slow, mournful and melodic start but descends into chaos during the closing moments with Aaron's tortured vocals providing a disturbing end to a quite magnificent song.

Aaron's vocals in fact are a high point on this album. He uses three styles; a soft spoken word style, a harsh death growl and a moaning clean singing approach that only ever worked on this album. The rest of the band too turns in a stellar performance. The guitars are in turn raging and mellow, the bass is ever present providing a deep rumble in the background. The drummer is very good and holds up his end remarkably well without ever underplaying or overplaying his drums to the detriment of the music.

Unfortunately MDB have never been able to top this album but this is probably the album that MDB will be remembered for, for the rest of their careers. If I had to sum up this review in one sentence I would simply say that "Turn Loose The Swans" is the greatest doom metal album of all time.
Overall Rating: 5/5