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Critic's Review
Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide
After a series of EPs, two full-lengths, and a European tour, My Dying Bride had established themselves prior to this release, but Turn Loose the Swans, probably more than any other effort, confirmed the band's leadership position within the British death metal/doom metal movement. The gothic strains and pure depression of the band are in peak form on this recording. From the gentler strains of "Your River" to the deathly title track, My Dying Bride takes sorrow to new extremes on this Futurist release. Averaging a cool eight minutes apiece, each of this record's seven songs is dripping with treachery and pain, as the band's lyrical fascination with deceit and transgressions of every variety are apparent in every line. Some gentle string arrangements wind around the super-slow doom metal and sometimes-spoken, sometimes-screamed vocals, giving the record a dynamic twist that helped define the British death/doom sound. A strong early effort from My Dying Bride, Turn Loose the Swans should please fans of this band and their obscure genre. [The digitally remastered 2003 version came in a limited-edition digipak and featured the bonus tracks "Le Cerf Malade," "Transcending [Into the Exquisite]," and a live version of "Your Shameful Heaven."]
