THE MANUSCRIPT

The Manuscript is definitely one of My Dying Bride's finest singles/EPs, perhaps one of the finest releases in their whole discography. Incidentally, what is the distinction between a single and an EP? Is it a matter of length? An interesting question for the purposes of our website, I think. The Manuscript is a big advancement over MDB's earlier EPs. The early releases tend to be more straightforward doom/death metal. That is not inherently a bad thing, but it makes earlier releases like Deeper Down less interesting for the followers of Prog Archives. Musical progressiveness means creating something that's different, innovative, not done before. What makes My Dying Bride interesting is what they add to the doom/death metal formula. I very much prefer the MDB releases that include violin. In the case of The Manuscript, it's played beautifully by keyboardist Shaun MacGowan. Since The Manuscript only has four songs, I won't pick favorites. As an MDB fanatic, I like anything they do. My only minor complaint is that "Var gud over er", although it's more death metal, sounds a lot like the next track "A Pale Shroud of Longing". I would change the order of the songs. Otherwise, The Manuscript would be an excellent pick for anyone with an interest in the band. Unreservedly a 4 star CD.