Album: The Holy Bible
Artist: Manic Street Preachers
Label: Epic (Sony Music)
Released: 1994
Summary: Possibly the most depressing rock album of all time.
"I wanted to rub the human face in its own vomit and then force it
to look in the mirror."
The last Manic Street Preachers album released before the mysterious
disappearance of lyricist Richie Edwards, The Holy Bible is filled
with raw emotion. Viewed by some as a lengthy suicide note set to
music, it is certainly one of the most depressing albums you're ever
likely to hear.
Richey Edwards and Nicky Wire were certainly both genuinely very
depressed when they wrote the album's lyrics, and this album conveys
their feelings in a painfully vivid manner. Songs about topics such
as anorexia and self harm are certainly a change from mainstream
music's acceptable themes of love and sex, or even the official
alternative of naive, undirected angst. While they present no answers
to society's inherent problems, they articulate those problems, as
well as their own, eloquently.
James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore take these lyrics and try their
best to wrap them around their music. Listening to the result gives
the impression that they sometimes had trouble making the words fit
the actual tunes, but thankfully it also gives the impression that
they got their meaning. A far cry from the Manic Street Preachers's
previous two albums, which pair similarly depressing lyrics with
deceptively catchy tunes, The Holy Bible features music that completely
resonates with the lyrics, making a cohesive whole. This is aggressive
rock music, hard to digest on the first listen but certainly a grower.
It's about as close as you can get to the raw feeling of anger and
desperation.
The only peaceful break from the otherwise relentless abrasive rock
music is in This Is Yesterday and Die in the Summertime, towards the
end of the album, which are filled with a wistful sound and lyrics
about regret and resignation at the futility of everything.
Overall, this album is intense and powerful. While the songs aren't
exactly catchy, they sound genuine and straight from the heart. If
you're deeply depressed, The Holy Bible is something you're quite
likely to resonate with. Otherwise, it probably sounds like angry
noise. Either way, you have to admit that albums with such intensity
and stark honesty are rare.