The Black RyderThe Door Behind The Door
Released 2015 on The Anti-Machine Machine
Reviewed by Graveyard Poet, 14/06/2015ce
From the stunningly romantic melody of "Seventh Moon" and the soaring choral vocals embellished with church bells on "Let Me Be Your Light" to the downcast and melancholy heartache of "The Going Up Was Worth The Coming Down" and "All That We Are", The Black Ryder have truly evolved.
The "Moonlight Mile" guitar and Spiritualized gospel choir of "Throwing Stones" is awe-inspiring.
This is the soundtrack for a dark night of the soul and it's difficult not to feel the tears welling up inside as it ends with the childlike sadness (reminiscent of Mercury Rev's Deserter's Songs) of "Until The Calm Of Dawn" and the windswept desolation of the orchestral instrumental "Le Dernier Sommeil (The Final Sleep)" where the mournful, sepulchral strings summon the same funereal atmosphere found in the final songs of Joy Division's Closer.
The Door Behind The Door is one of the standout albums of 2015.