1990 Peaceville Relived
"When The Light Was Taken From Us" is the debut full-length CD from this Welsh crew who formed in 2003 with the express intention of introducing new music fans to 1990s northern English-style doom. Yes, we're taking full-on worship of early Anathema, Paradise Lost, and in particular, My Dying Bride. Of course, given that each of those bands is about a million times more famous (in doom terms) than The Drowning are or ever will be, I don't know exactly how many 1990s Peaceville doom virgins are going to be picking up this CD, but those who do are in for a bit of a treat.
Released via Casket Music, the album was actually recorded last year when the band were without a deal. These humble origins mean that the production is very rough around the edges, but a bit of lo-fi crackle is always a boon for doom bands attempting to create a bleak atmosphere. The Drowning set out their stall from the off as the album begins with the sound of a tolling church bell. Even Captain Birdseye doesn't have enough fingers to count the number of bands employing that device since Black Sabbath first hit upon the idea in 1970, but I'll be damned if it doesn't still provoke a little shiver of melancholy pleasure every time. If you've heard any early 1990s gothic doom (and let's face it, you probably have) then you'll not find anything new here, but the songwriting and performance are of a high enough quality to keep complaints at bay. And anyway, old-school gothic doom was always a much more palatable proposition than the stuff the genre is pouring out today: there are no female or 'cookie monster' vocals here, and keyboards are used subtly and successfully as a tool for building atmosphere rather than as an overpowering lead instrument. The vocals are a throaty growl reminiscent of the young Aaron Stainthorpe, although the (very) occasional clean vocals are a little on the weak side. Unlike many acolytes of My Dying Bride, The Drowning haven't forgotten that there was a sizeable dollop of death metal in their heroes' early sound too and accordingly display some aggression, especially on 'A Bitter Shade of Grey'.
If you're not familiar with Anathema, Paradise Lost or My Dying Bride, "When The Light Was Taken From Us" shouldn't be your starting point, especially as you can pick up re-issues of those band's earlier albums for next to nowt nowadays. Buy "Serenades". Buy "Gothic". Buy "As The Flower Withers". But if you've already got those albums and still yearn for more of the sweetly melancholic 1990s Peaceville doom sound, there are few new bands today evoking the spirit of the greats quite as successfully as The Drowning.