My Dying Bride 

Saturday June 21 (Hellfest 2008 2nd day) 

For this interview, I add myself to the cast. Yes, no way to miss an opportunity to meet the Gods of doom. Two years after A line of Deathless kings, their next album should be released by the start of 2009. This time, it will be our pleasure to chat with lead guitarist and original member Andrew Craighan. 

Fab: So first, are you happy to be here at the Hell Fest 2008 ?
Andrew : Very happy yes. It's been quite of a long time since we've played a festival in france. The last time was in 2006 but it was a different (one), "fury fest" I think it was back then.  The Fury festival was a little bit of a chaotic affair, but we were hoping that this one will be a little more like. The band was very keen to play..

We haven't played for a while, the last gig was at the beginning of the year in Spain and we were itching to do it so, yes, we're really happy to be here. It's just a little bit too hot for (us), we're way more used to the wind and the rain, this sunshine is really new to us but, it will go.

Fab: What do you think about the various bands on the bill?
Andrew: I think it's stunning, I think the amount of bands that you've got, and the quality of the bands, particularly obviously the British ones: Paradise Lost, Anathema, Evile unfortunately could not make it and aborted…

So for us it was an even greater benefit to see us with such bands like those, because obviously when you do a festival, you'll like to be with them bands, the Morbid Angels', and the At The Gates' and these kinds of things, I'll look forever, so for us to be, see our name in that mix, it's perfect, we like that, it makes us feel pretty cool actually.

Fab: Could you tell us a little bit about the next album to come ?
Andrew: The new LP, it's still very much in its infancy. We have 9 definite songs, there's no titles or anything, so I can't really give you anything there even if they were cos' they simply don't exist. It's very much more of a direct LP than the last one is, it's more simpler and more heavy in straightforward places, it's a lot more of a straightforward doom metal, each single note of a doom, which I particularly love. So we've got some more of that.

I think it would please My Dying Bride's fans a lot, because it's almost like a step back to, say, "As the flower withers" & "Turn loose the swans" but with a more up today production, with a "take and out" approach.

So, many people, you know, the purists, might say "oh, it's just they're going back to old and ancient things", it could be … You may have some to accuse you of that, but it sounds good so we like it a lot.

In that moment, we have 6 songs that are pretty much recorded, we don't have any keys on or anything on, no vocals, even most of the guitars. We go back after the show, and straight back into the studio this week to carry on. It's looking, unfortunately it's probably gonna be the beginning of next year that it gets released. We're struggling for time to actually get everything, I mean we could rush it and it wouldn't be right, so we'd rather wait. I really want today to achieve it but it's not gonna happen, we just can't do it.

So it's there, it's definitely happening.

Fab: So I guess it's too soon to talk about the cover artwork?
Andrew: Well, we can talk about it but I won't be able to say very much (laugher). The artwork's always very tricky for MDB. With any band, you want to get the artwork right for the songs. Because there's no titles of the songs, there is not title for the LP, it's difficult to project an image on, we all know how MDB sound like, and what you tend to get for MDB. But with this record at the moment is kind of empty open, it's just a void of pictures and of colors.

So, let the artwork belongs to someone who will get, we got a few people working on various things, and they are ready for when the titles appears so they can mold it into, so it's been worked upon. Aaron's already in the mix and I am involved in the artwork as well, even if I don't physically do, I just tend to send notes, describing what I think it should be.

So, it's on its way but again, nothing tangible. It's really difficult to say, but I'm sure it will be fine when it's done. I'm kind of excited about all of this process again. It seems a long time since we did "A line of deathless kings", seems an eternity ago.

Spirit : In fact it's been a long time, and since it will take some more time before you'll release the (next) album, it'll be a real long time.
Andrew:  It is, but from the band's point of view, we've been busy all the time. Since that point to now, we've been busy. You know MDB, we work for a living as well, so it's not as if we're just sitting around doing nothing. We have to keep our jobs as well. All those kinds of things. I mean, everybody has to work.

Spirit : Sadly
Andrew: Sadly yes. But it's there, so. It does seem almost like two minutes ago, even if it's been such a long time. We're hungry again for some more.

Fab : You're going to play two shows with Anathema and Paradise Lost for the twentieth anniversary of PL. What are your relations with these two bands?
Andrew: Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Every time we're on the same festival, I mean, Paradise Lost particularly, they live where half of MDB live (in Halifax), so we see them all the time in bar for a few drinks and these kind of things. We're just like pals, the relationship's brilliant. It's not just a musical relationship.

(It's) The same with Anathema. They're presently recording an LP very close to where I live, and I actually met Jamie in my hometown in Leeds recently. We've had a long talk, you know, we've discussed this all "Unholy Trinity", (it's) amazing. He's looking forward to it as well as we're looking forward to it. And, we all, Anathema & MDB, we're doing this for Paradise Lost as a tribute, almost to them. For such a commitment, for staying…

Fab: Such a great career
Andrew:  Yeah, oh absolutely. As much as we haven't said this to PL, that's because we're not really, if it was a normal gig we wouldn't do it because the conditions are shit (laughter).

Spirit : You know how long you're gonna play?
Andrew :  No, this is part of the problem. We're gonna do the show, there's no question about that, but if this was a normal gig, we'd be complaining heavily about a lack of information. But we know it's not a normal gig, for us we're very proud to be involved. I mean, with that bill, Anathem & Paradise Lost, I will go see that. I wish I wasn't playing to see that.

I mean you (the French) are lucky, caus' you get the first gig in PARIS. That's the first one, so it will always be the first gig. But to be fair, it's almost a fitting place to start, because PL is very popular in France, MDB we always get well …

So, it's almost perfect that we should come to France, we don't play France often, and it's a fitting tribute to do Paris first. And it was deliberate as well, I know that PL and management, there was no question that Paris was first, they were always first, and London second.

We're trying to sort of fit in a couple of other gigs but it's difficult time wise for MDB. But I will expect maybe two more, may  a couple, maybe at a different time, but certainly Paris was always the (first), that was it, I mean, if everything else failed, Paris was gonna work.   

Because we, I mean, MDB is more popular in France than we've ever been, actually, we always get great audience, so it is not only a tribute to PL while we play, but a tribute to the French. It's so perfect to tell you some truth.

Spirit: So the next gig in France will be next year you think? Headlining I mean.
Andrew: More than likely. The final shows we have this year are from "Unholy Trinity" with PL, we may have on more in Leeds which it's still in balance, and then we stop. Because we wanna make sure that the LP will be finished. And the next year hopes that the LP will come out, and now with no gigs booked, but next year there will be a gig cos' the LP will be finished or will be due for release, so next year, hopefully we're be back again to do some headline shows of his own, and, then who knows?

Spirit: You'll get a big place in "the masters of rock" in Vizovice (Czech Republic). You will play 75 minutes I think, so it will be quite near to a real show.
Andrew: Yeah, kind of, we are not headlining but we'll close the (Saturday's) show. (There is) Apocalyptica (just before us), I'm interested in seeing them. But yes that's probably one of the longest set that we're, but we've got quite a few songs that we would like to play that we haven't played for a long time so I think that what we'll do is dig into the old stuff and start redoing some of the older songs and more…there's people love that, I mean they always complain, whatever we play, we never play the right songs.

Fab : So when are you going to play "A doomed lover" live again? (Laughter - Spirit's favourite song).
Andrew: Who knows, I mean, it's tricky. We trying mix and match to keep that, like, typically you asked for a song and not for complain, (laughter), here you go. It's impossible, we trying mix it so, not just for the fan's point of view but for the band, because we like to play different songs caus' we like them and you just get tired to play the same songs. It becomes not boring but, come on, let's do something else for a change. And I think by the time we do those 75 minutes, I think it's a great scope to really have a big, we trying to convince Aaron to do "Your River", that's what we wanna do at the moment.

He's not over keen…There's just some songs he's, you know, we used to play them nine years ago and it's difficult to convince him, but once we've convinced him, he will love this, it's a simple as that. But we're getting, I mean, Hamish is pressing him (laughter).

Fab: Still concerning Anathema, PL or Katatonia. Rather than a drastic change of orientations of these bands, MDB has always followed a progressive evolution without ever denying its roots & origin. Is it a reflexion, or just inspiration, instinct?
Andrew:  I think that, from MDB's point of view, because we do work for a living, the band doesn't have to finance anything we do. In consequent there's no pressure on the music, to be anything other than MDB, which in itself is like a double in it, cos'obviously I would love to do this for a living, and maybe you know, just bum around and be a rock star. In a way it's kind of a paradox, because on one hand that would be great but on the other hand, because we don't have that pressure to perform we can be MDB, we can be what we want.

Fab: Music can be pure
Andrew : Absolutely, yeah. So in that respect, I think it's a bonus. We've never really tried to be anything but MDB, we only tried to do justice to the name of MDB, to be what we believe, thought we should be. We tried different things occasionally but we've never really tried to move to far away.

I mean, KATATONIA I think, that's just, if you look at their early stuff, "Dance of December souls", and that sort of things, that's very much MDB. That's very much the same : Growling vocals, heavy chords, lots of reverbs, and you listen to them now, it's very structured (like) melodic rock. So I still think for them that's a natural progression, it doesn't seem awkward or false, it seems normal..

After "draconian times"'s PL, when they stop doing that kind of stuff, I can't, didn't listen to it very much, and Anathema I know they've changed a lot into a more melodic rock. And again, I don't see it as an awkward change, I think it's a progression in their path, that's what they felt they should be doing, so they go do it.

And for MDB, we just want to be heavy all the time, I mean we just like heavy metal. To me, heavy metal is tattoos, long hair& fuckin'rippin'riffs. That's what MDB does, that's what kept us interested, that's what keeps me interested. Now I'm saying there was a little rehearsing for the show, we were all in a tiny rehearsal room, and we were just blasting away.

Yo just think "fuck, this is why I get up". This is why, to hear the noise, to feel the fuckin', the music, literally, feel it not just only in your soul. It's so loud.

If those other bands want to do different things that's fine, but MDB for me is heavy, it has to be heavy.

Spirit: And we hope it will continue like this.
Andrew:  Yeah, we don't intend to change. I couldn't write anything else, I don't know how to do anything else. I just do this, you know, I've been rubbish in any other band, with MDB I'm ok.

Fab : Who's gonna be in charge of the keyboards today?
Andrew:  We have a, kind of a standing keyboard, it's called; it's a young girl called Kate.
And she's going to play keyboard and…(he stops)
 "when this interview is due to come out?"

Spirit : I don't know because we have many things to work on. Maybe in two weeks.
Andrew:  Ok that's fine…basically she plays violin as well…So we have keyboard and violin.

Spirit (with a big smile): Oh! I have at least two or three titles in my head…Are you really going to play old stuff with violin?
Andrew:  That's exactly what we're here to do.

Spirit (still smiling): ok, we'll be there.
Fab: Thank you very much because apparently, we have to stop.
Andrew:  She's called Katie stone, and she plays keyboard and she plays violin. That's our little secret.

On June the 27th Official site stated as follow:
"My Dying Bride would like to formally announce the new keyboard/violinist, Katie Stone. We will have a full profile update and pictures as soon as the band has time from the gigs/studio work they are presently engaged in. Katie is also involved in the new studio album. More as we get it."