Conor Fynes 'Requiem Fortissimo' - Virgin Black (3/10)

While it might not be the most inspiring word-of-mouth introduction for a band to hear your friend tell you to give 'one of the worst albums he has ever listened to' a try, but as always, music is a very subjective experience and I like to treat it as such. While there are aspects of music that appeal to a majority of people, there will always be pieces of music that some may hate, and others love depending on their outlook and ear.

'Requiem Fortissimo' may well be one of those albums that could be perceived as a total masterpiece by one with an ear attuned enough to doom metal to appreciate it. While I have dabbled in the realm of doom before (from the likes of early Anathema and Katatonia to Shades Of Despair and Draconian) I've been able to see real beauty in some of the music the genre spits out, but above anything, its a real hit-or-miss deal. If something doesn't work, it really won't work. 'Requiem' definately had alot of thought put into it, but in the end; a few shortcomings in the work truly mar what might have been a landmark doom record.

When I speak of the 'thought' and effort put into the making of it, its important to know that the band went as far as to enlist the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (generally perceived to be Austrailia's flagship philharmonic) and choral sections to add to the sound. While this does certainly make 'Requiem' a much more worthy venture than other albums I've listened to, the rest of the mix hurts the orchestration alot. The guitar riffs are generally unimaginative save for a few precious arrangements, and the growl vocals are truly atrocious. While there are a few soprano operatic sections, and parts where the orchestra has room to breathe, these sections frankly aren't worth going through all of the monotonous guitar drone and grunting to get to them.

While it might be a suitable backdrop for a wintery, frostbitten evening, this depressing and dissapointing opus from Virgin Black will not appeal to many outside of the doom metal circle. I for one, can find stuff to appreciate here, and it's certainly not the worst album I've ever heard, but I would much rather delve into a more fulfilling record then this; as there are plenty out there that trump over this one.

bonnek Virgin Black’s second album is a 75 minute opus that should convince any remaining doubts that they mean business, big epic melodramatic business.

The result is still very satisfying but it’s become a less versatile album then the debut. It is quieter and more coherent but only seems to explore its dramatic Goth potential. The metal and progressive sides of the music have become less prominent. As it turned out, alternating metal-styled albums with more laidback material turned out to be something of a career choice for Virgin Black, quite similar to the US goth metallists of Christian Death, who must have been an obvious point of inspiration.

There are great pieces of music where looming doom-riffs and spacey blues guitar leads provide memorable moments as on The Kiss of God's Mouth and Cult of Crucifixion. But with only one mood to sustain for 75 minutes, the album is too long. The operatic 20 minute musical drama of Everlasting goes entirely over all bombastic peaks reached by other Goth bands before them. Quite an achievement that is. And they manage to do it while maintaining a really spooky and chilling atmosphere.

Virgin Black is a great band with more talent then 20 random Goth bands put together. Their inclusion of operatic metal and ambitious drama might sure make them an interesting listen if you’re attracted to the idea of progressive Goth rock. To be checked by lovers of Type O Negative, Therion and My Dying Bride.

bonnek Virgin Black’s debut does exactly what the album title promises. They are clearly deep in mourning and decadently romantic. Their music is hard to put into just one category, there are elements of goth, black and doom metal, but also soft acoustic guitat parts, mostly melodic and slightly operatic vocals, beautiful bluesy guitar solos, symphonic keyboards and melodious pianos.

Because the music is hard to describe, I need to refer to other bands to draw similarities. A first is My Dying Bride from around their second album Turn Loose The Swans. Virgin Black improves that sound with better vocals and great Gilmouresque guitar solos as on Museum Of Iscariot. A second reference would be Therion. The second track Embrace for instance features a choir introduction that sounds just like Therion on a particularly drowsy day. Also Agalloch can be mentioned. On Drink the Midnight Hymn Virgin Black bring an operatic version of a similar type of epic black metal. Also the overall sound is quite similar to Agalloch’s albums. The integration of moody acoustic pieces and ambient experimentalism adds Ulver to this extensive list of references.

The songwriting is excellent throughout and with the extensive range of styles it makes for a varied and dynamic album. Fans of the bands listed shouldn’t hesitate, and others shouldn’t turn their backs too quickly neither. This music incorporates many forms of modern metal but it can hardly be tagged extreme. Instead it’s heavy, dark, melodic and very moving.

avestin Virgin Black is still Black but no longer Virgin.

A promising first few seconds in this album made my heart rush. It starts with a bang, but then it recedes to Doom/Death metal realms. Early My Dying Bride comes to mind as a reference point (and all other imitators and practitioners of this style). But alas, Virgin Black have shed away here all that makes them special and have released a bland doom/death metal album at times bordering on the Funeral Doom style. A band I admire and love every release of theirs have released an album I don't like and which is a disappointment to me. The album has a few of the orchestra,operatic vocals and choir background vocals left but nothing of the special traits that made Virgin Black noticeable and distinguishable from other bands. Had I not known this is a Virgin Black album, I could be fooled to believe it is by some other Doom metal band. I understand that this was supposed to be their heaviest album of the trilogy but not only this is not what I was expecting (so lets leave my disappointment aside), this goes quite a long way from the Virgin Black style and sound. There are the familiar riffs and recognizable patterns (like in the beginning of In Winter's Ash) but other than that, I can't find much of the band I love and look up to.

It's not all bad or bland, but it is mostly not thrilling or has the quality I find in previous VB albums. One track that is quite good and does give me hope they have not abandoned their roots is Silent which does manage to combine their "usual" characteristics with the more brutal and heavy aspect of this album (with a glance at a musical line from the Mezzo Forte album). God In Dust is another decent track However with the other five tracks, there is the issue of not giving each track enough identity and differentiating them from the others, aside from the absence of the VB style. But all in all, there is too much of a "samey" feel in this album as I feel as if the music is repeated and rehashed.

Bottom line - I'm disappointed with this release and can't recommend to other Virgin Black fans like me. I can recommend it to folks into Doom/Death/Funeral Doom Metal and even then, it's not that good or impressive an album, but not a bad one in itself. Most of what makes Virgin Black unique is absent here. The bleakness is still here, but the magic is gone. I hope that the third and last installment in this Requiem trilogy will not disappoint me like this. The 3 stars is more to say that it's an ok release in itself, but as far as Virgin Black standards, this is a step down.

avestin Charting more bleak soundscapes.

The music territory that Virgin Black inhabit in is as dark and uncharted as the name implies. Virgin Black are quite unique with regards to the music they create, and so do not fit well with any attempt at categorization. While their style is firmly rooted in doom/death metal (My Dying Bride is one of their influences, as they state it), this only partly represents their music and its experimental/avant-garde side. With this release, they aim to create a trilogy called Requiem with a varying degree of classical music and metal - Fortissimo, Mezzo Forte and Pianissimo. Fortissimo will feature the heaviest Virgin Black has ever done while Pianissimo will be an entirely classical album. The classical instrumentation in all albums is performed by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. As the name implies, this specific first part of the trilogy, Mezzo Forte, is where metal and classical reach a balance between them, resulting in a sort of "doom metal symphony" and this particular album in the Requiem trilogy is said by the band to be the closest in sound to their previous two albums, "Sombre Romantic" and "Elegant. And Dying".

Like their previous albums, this one features the same feelings of anguish, grief and tortured spirit throughout the music and lyrics. London's tenor along with Susan Johnson's soprano backed by choirs, give a majestic volume and breadth to the music, amplifying the effect the music alone has on the listener. In line with previous albums are also the slow tempo of the songs, Samantha's heavy distortion guitar and as expected, the classical instruments, which are given lead roles as well, enhancing the atmosphere Virgin Black are creating and giving a contrast to the heaviness of the band. The tracks themselves vary in terms of extent of use of both components (metal and classical) and intensity. The end result is beautiful, well crafted and balanced and makes for a good intermingle of seemingly opposing sounds.

Virgin Black is not an easy listening (not to imply that I don't enjoy the listen). The nature of their sound, the gloominess, despair and depression that emanate from their songs, can be overwhelming at times. While this album is not as eccentric as its predecessors, it's of no lower quality. However, what I miss in this album is the variety, experimenting and dynamics that were abundant in the previous ones. I also feel they could have made more of a use of the orchestra. That been said, I find this album to be mesmerizing and haunting, captivating until the end. While some might find this to be too much: too emotional, melodramatic and cumbersome, I am drawn to its bleak, somber sound and to the slow and ponderous kind of music they make. This release follows in the line of the previous two, and adds a progression to newer grounds for the band. Their albums, and this one is no different, are to be listened to at particular sets of mind, times when you're receptive to such flavour of music.