Reviews

16 years is a long time between albums, and although The Cure was still reasonably active in touring, fans had likely assumed they had heard the last of new music from the band long ago. From the moment lead single 'Alone' opens the album there is a distinctness about it, a sound that could only ever be from the mind of frontman Robert Smith. The song opens the album beautifully, placing the music in a melancholy mood - but it isn't all about the dark, with shades of light breaking through the clouds on occasion, allowing the listener to take an untainted breath. By track 2, the sublime 'And Nothing Is Forever', it is obvious this is not an album of up-tempo songs, instead keeping to a walking (and sometimes crawling) pace. By 'Warsong' the true feeling of burden the album leaves on the listener really become apparent, unfurling like a heavy blanket placed upon your body. Songs like 'I Can Never Say Goodbye' have moments of the vintage The Cure charm that made them so popular in the 80s, but 'All I Ever Am' drags you back to now - not this time, but to this very moment - the urgency of Robert's voice being immediately apparent. 'Endsong', with its themes of loss closes the album precisely as expected, but perfectly just the same. To come back after a such a long break with an piece of music that is not just excellent, but an absolutely essential part of the band's large discography is quite the feat. The album leaves the listener feeling like the have witnessed a series of contradictions - of finality at the same time as a new beginning, of the denseness of pure darkness whilst offering the clarity of light, and most importantly the weight of great burden at the same time as a feeling of weightlessness. Very few bands will ever have an album quite this wonderful.

The mid 2000's seemed to be a period in time where I found 'new' favourite bands that had been around for a long time. Satyricon, Immortal, Candlemass, Darkthrone etc I discovered within years of each other. MDB was another. Now I need to make a point first up. While listening to this record at the time I did, I wasn't in a very good place. Listening to this every morning before you started the day didn't serve me well. It's taken a long time for me to take another listen with a different view. The judgement of this release doesn't really change. Not having listened to any of their earlier work I was a taken by Stanthorpe's voice when singing through those drowning, sad, depressive songs (for the most part). The guitars though the entire album are cutting for the most part and are incredibly addictive. Track 2 'L'Amour Detruit' is the first example of what the listener is in for. With most songs clocking in at over 6 minutes long you don't leave the locker of any song in any real quick time. As intense as it is, you are commanded to submit yourself to the song itself. The spoken work toward the end of 'Loves Intolerable Pain' raises a number of dark questions that some may relate to. 'Deeper Down' is the killer for me. The lyrics are very easy to learn and although an up-tempo song initially, it drags you into a depressive state (for me at least) when you absorb the dark lyrics of the song and understand the metaphor strewn through the song. In any case, if you can unbolt yourselves from the journey the album can take you on, you will find a death/doom masterpiece full of sounds and vocals that work at the very nerves of your body.