If bands were alcoholic beverages My Silent Wake’s latest outing Lost in Memories, Lost in Grief would be a fine vintage of red: subtle, yet full bodied with a woody/smoky aftertaste, the grapes having been specifically picked from a glorious vineyard somewhere in the Tuscany region.

Lost in Memories, Lost in Grief doesn’t need to explode on the taste buds like a can of sugar-laden cola desperate to impress, but instead is happy to rest on them a while evolving with confidence and patience, gradually opening up each new deep layer of flavour.

In its rich history My Silent Wake has previously touched numerous metal genres while always remaining anchored to its doom roots; the same can be said here, though my immediate response to opener ‘The Liar and the Fool’ is to be reminded of an album loved but not listened to in years: Sirenia’s elegantly gothic At Sixes and Sevens.

That said the track has a faster tempo; one meaning that, while the usual doom vibe of My Silent Wake is there and FFO My Dying Bride is still as relevant as ever, doom is often far from the prevailing feel.

The use of Ian and Simon as dual vocalists is a genius move; with the first’s ability to go from light and clean to dark growl and the latter’s clean distinctively regal vocals, Lost in Memories, Lost in Grief at times sounds like it’s pulling on an ensemble of voices instead of just a mere duo; the subsequent dynamic utterly captivating as they intertwine into one to tell the tale found on each track.

And what stories are told:

Track three ‘Lavender Gardens’ is in the words of Ian, “based upon my mother who suffered with Alzheimer’s but passed away in 2022 from heart failure, well before she lost who she was completely to that awful disease. It is what I imagined she was experiencing in her mind. I know she thought she was young, and she loved her garden and the birds and especially loved the scent of lavender. In the end it is the place we wish she could forever be, in eternal bliss.”

Singing with sublime conviction has literally been the trademark of Ian across My Silent Wake’s existence, yet nothing prior touches what is reached here: a mountainous pinnacle of true raw emotion to set hairs on end and hearts on fire; an infectious captivating energy that as the linchpin of the song’s spiritual soul compels all involved to equally feel and likewise express the deeply personal sentiment. Those on the listening end only get to feel it, but wow do they feel it!

At points, in fact most of the time, it’s easy not to think of Lost in Memories, Lost in Grief as a metal album. It is, very much so, the only difficulty pinning it to a precise genre: in moments across its expansive eight tracks the full doom ticket with morbid bells on; the next a rollicking riff sounding more suited to Iron Maiden; occasionally a subtle moment straight from the vaults of Pink Floyd; elsewhere sections that put me in mind of Finnish folk-metal festivals featuring the likes of Korpiklaani; and more than a few nods in the direction of prog rock legends such as Uriah Heep, Deep Purple and Rainbow.

It’s heavy, downright to-the-point grim in places—“And the fires render ash or the worm will be fed” ‘Lavender Gardens’—yet somehow there’s also a lightness, something new, fresh, rising like Spring through the solemn ashes of Winter’s despair.

Lost in Memories, Lost in Grief has a fine culture to it that not only comes from the combined years and experience of My Silent Wake’s members, it’s also—perhaps more so—accomplished by this clearly being a work of indifference; a concept that can appear somewhat converse in the West, but for the uninitiated is Zen in design.

My Silent Wake doesn’t want, need or try to impress; instead it has drawn within itself without care for the outside world and its futile impure opinions to find clarity of objective. The result is a sublime mellowness in delivery that can still be lightning fast much as a martial art; an absolute knowledge of where the album is going and why prevails to give each track a unique personality while it simultaneously remains a seamless part of Lost in Memories, Lost in Grief’s greater journey; one that simply doesn’t disappoint at any of its numerous turns and nuances, but continues to elevate and enthral at each and every one.

Lost in Memories, Lost in Grief is due for release May 3rd 2024. Pre order info can be found in links below.

My Silent Wake:

• Ian Arkley: guitar/ebow/vocals
• Addam Westlake: bass
• Gareth Arlett: drums
• Simon Bibby: Yamaha Reface YC organ/vocals/whispers

Lost in Memories, Lost in Grief  was recorded, mixed and mastered at Priory Recording Studios by Greg Chandlerand at Hollow Hearth by band member Simon Bibby.

Links:

• Ardua Music My Silent Wake link tree
• MSW bandcamp
• MSW facebook
• MSW youtube
• MSW insta
• MSW twitter
• MSW reverbnation

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