My Dying Bride - 34.788%... Complete (1998)^{Release ID: 964}

My Dying Bride's most controversial album, but this sexually charged, genre defying piece of art has much to offer.

My Dying Bride had managed to keep the same line-up since their first official release back in 1991 all the way through to 1996. The only change during this time had been Martin Powell (keyboards/violin) becoming an official member in 1993 after previously acting solely as a session musician. This stable alliance had allowed the band to evolve together without disrupting the natural progression of their sound. The period after the release of 1996’s Like Gods of the Sun album would see this union finally break apart and the band would have some tough decisions to make. Firstly, in a sad turn of events, drummer Rick Miah would be forced to depart the band after being diagnosed with the digestive disorder Chrone’s disease. Shortly afterwards, Martin would leave the band and join Anathema and eventually Cradle of Filth. Both were difficult losses for the band and these members contributed immensely to the much celebrated My Dying Bride sound. They would find a replacement for Rick in Bill Law who had previously performed for label mates Dominion. Tellingly, Martin would not be replaced officially, leaving My Dying Bride with no violinist and only session musicians helping out with keyboards. One can only assume these changes convinced the band that now was the time to try something a little bit different.

A little bit different would be a large understatement too! In October 1998, My Dying Bride released 34.788%...Complete onto their unsuspecting fans. The unusual name originated from a dream guitarist Calvin Robertshaw had where he discovered that the human race had a limited lifespan on Earth, with exactly 34.788% having already expired. The band clearly found the idea fascinating and decided to use it, although I don’t think these themes are represented anywhere apart from the title of this adventurous release. The band had already transitioned from harsh, heavily death metal influenced doom metal right through to fairly accessible, cleanly produced gothic doom over the course of their existence, but there had always been certain qualities that made their music undeniably My Dying Bride. 34.788%...Complete was something altogether different, with very few recognisable features from past forays. The gothic imagery had all but disappeared and the romantic aspect was replaced with an overtly graphic sexuality. I guess it’s important to note that Aaron’s lyrics had always contained sexual qualities (The Thrash of Naked Limbs is a good example), but they’d never been this graphic or crass before. 34.788%...Complete sounded oh so modern and bold and first time listeners were bewildered to say the least.

I was one of these fans back in 1998 struggling to understand how my favourite band could possibly alienate me so badly. I’d hoped after the streamlined, almost too clinical Like Gods of the Sun that My Dying Bride would bring back some of the experimental aspects that made previous albums so amazing, but this had taken things to an extreme I wasn’t quite willing to go along with. Why are there all these expletives all over the place and why does Aaron sound like a sexually perverted maniac? Where are the moving doom riffs and exquisite classical elements? Is that seriously trip hop in the middle of a My Dying Bride album? It would take me at least a year, possibly two, before I finally started to listen to 34.788%...Complete for what it is rather than I what I’d wanted it to be. I’ve got to the point now where I not only accept the album, but I actually get quite a bit of enjoyment out of it. Opening track The Whore, the Cook and the Mother in particular is magnificent with a truly sumptuous melody breaking through the erotica filled verses and an immensely effective ambient interlude complete with captivating mutterings. The voices during this interlude were apparently inspired by the simulant interrogation scene from the movie Blade Runner and it really gives the track a strange atmosphere that I wish they’d investigated further.

Other highlights include the comparatively conventional Der Uberlebende with its cool melodies, Apocalypse Woman with its cascading drums and weighty riffs and Base Level Erotica with its undeniably sexual overtones, but it’s the final track Under Your Wings and Into Your Arms that ended up in regular My Dying Bride concert track listings due to it sounding the least at odds with the bands regular material. All these tracks are meticulously crafted and it’s a shame their fans would dismiss 34.788%...Complete as a failed experiment. Of course all of this experimentation did result in some awkward, unconvincing sections, which brings me to undoubtedly the albums most controversial aspect. Heroin Chic is a trip hop backed, industrial sounding, expletive filled track that many find unlistenable. Personally I think it works pretty well for a while, with the combination of Aaron’s misogynistic meanderings and guest vocalist Michelle Richfield’s angelic voice being thoroughly effective, but the white noise censorship and the sheer length really detract. Once Aaron starts switching off with nah nah nah yeah yeah yeah, Heroin Chic has seriously overstayed its already dubious welcome. My Dying Bride continue to defend 34.788%...Complete to this day, but I think their fans, myself included, are one by one beginning to realise they should never have had to.