Four former members of pioneering British doom metal outfit My Dying Bride have reunited under the banner of Towards The Sinister.
The newly announced band features former My Dying Bride vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe, guitarist Calvin Robertshaw, bassist Ade Jackson, and drummer Rick Miah. Rounding out the lineup are guitarist Chris Revett, keyboardist Mark Deeks, and violinist Emma Allington.
According to Stainthorpe, the project emerged organically after he reconnected with several of his former bandmates following his departure from My Dying Bride. Speaking with Blabbermouth, he revealed that the idea was initially sparked by fan speculation after the group reunited socially last year.
“I’ve not seen Calvin, Rick or Ade for a decade. They don’t live a million miles away. I ran into Calvin a couple of times at a festival in Scarborough up the northeast coast called Fortress Fest. I bumped into him a couple of times there, but that’s really about it. It was only when, I think, My Dying Bride issued this statement ‘firing’ me that these guys came out of the shadows with loads of support, which was wonderful.”
Stainthorpe explained that what began as a casual reunion among former friends quickly evolved into discussions about revisiting the material they helped create during the band’s formative years.
“No single person instigated it. As I said, I think the Internet instigated it. We mulled it over. Could we pull it off? Do we want to, more importantly? Rick was so keen to get behind the drum kit. Chomping at the bit, really. It’s been a long time for him.”
The band’s live focus will initially center on material from the first four My Dying Bride albums: ‘As The Flower Withers,’ ‘Turn Loose The Swans,’ ‘The Angel And The Dark River,’ and ‘Like Gods Of The Sun.’
According to Stainthorpe, the decision was an easy one given that the participating members were directly involved in writing those records.
“[It will be material from] the first four albums. That’s the songs these guys wrote. They’re not interested in performing songs they didn’t help write. It’s the first four-album period, which we’ll concentrate on and which is the best period, according to the fans.”
He also revealed that the band intends to dig deep into the catalog, potentially performing songs that have never been played live before.
“We plan to play as many of them as we can, even some that have never been played live. We’re going to look into all of them.”
Beyond revisiting classic material, Towards The Sinister also plan to write and record new music. The band is currently organizing its first UK shows, with festival appearances expected to follow.
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