Virgin Black: Requiem - Mezzo Forte

Requiem:
- A mass for the dead
- A solemn chant (as a dirge) for the repose of the dead
- Something that resembles such a solemn chant
- A musical setting of the mass for the dead
- A musical composition in honor of the dead
(Merriam-Webster)

So imagine that My Dying Bride went to the opera, and came home and wrote a requiem - and you'd have a good idea of what to expect.

This album is an even split between pure orchestral music and a dark, doomy form of gothic metal. The sludge-slow tones and the morbid vocals are offset occasionally by very elegant orchestral sounds - courtesy of the The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra - and the rich male and female choirs. Listen for Samantha Escarbe's prominent lead guitar and cello work - for example opening track "Requiem, Kyrie" starts with alternating lines of mournful, deep cello tones, and the male choir's introspective Gregorian-styled chant - then enter the lead (female) singer in a rich, operatic contralto (or is it a mezzo?) over the heavy cello line and a very measured percussion - and a male singer is slowly introduced ... get the idea? It's symphonic, it's very deliberate, it's very elegant, and it's exactly the solemn kind of music you'd expect to hear at a funeral.

There are odd, angular melodies at some points, the choirs are often the focal point of the music, and listen for the strong, slow lead guitar in "Lacrimosa (I Am Blind With Weeping)" and in the 11-minute mini epic "...And I am Suffering" - which is the standout piece on the album.

Virgin Black recorded three albums at the same time - Requiem - Pianissimo which is entirely classical; Requiem - Mezzo Forte - this album, which is a classical / metal crossover, and Requiem - Fortissimo - a heavy death / doom metal piece. Despite the big differences among them, they all borrow themes from one another and progress in a musically linear path from classical to extreme metal, yielding a trilogy that ought to be collected in its entirety.

Virgin Black isn't as progressive or as quirky as some of The End Records' more avant-oriented acts - but Requiem - Mezzo Forte is refreshingly different and very listenable - for as long as you can handle the gloomy tones of a requiem.

Track Listing:
1 Requiem, Kyrie
2 In Death
3 Midnight's Hymn
4 …And I am Suffering
5 Domine
6 Lacrimosa (I Am Blind With Weeping)
7 Rest Eternal

Added: March 12th 2007
Reviewer: Duncan Glenday
Score:
Related Link: The Band's Website
Hits: 4994
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend ]