Virgin Black - Requiem - Fortissimo - review
Virgin Black - Requiem - Fortissimo - review
Tracklist
01. The Fragile Breath02. In Winters Ash
03. Silent
04. God In Dust
05. Lacrimosa (Gather Me)
06. Darkness
07. Forever
A review by
Dream Taster December 08, 2007
Definitely heavier than its predecessor, Requiem - Fortissimo is another landmark for Virgin Black. Singer and mastermind Rowan London left his clean vocals home on this one. Growling from the first second to the last, this might take listeners by surprise. But true to himself, Rowan showcases once more that he is one of the best singers out there, managing to bring emotion, melancholy, and variation to his growls. At times, it sounds like Satan is in the house and can become quite disturbing if you are unprepared for this kind of vocals. Plus Rowan's vocals are often coupled with disturbing background vocals, either male or female. If I had to rename this album, this one would be called "Land of the Dead". It's so dark, it feels like we are projected into a twilight world where the dead are talking to the living.
The orchestra plays a big part in this record, despite the "fortissimo" tag that might let you believe otherwise. Virgin Black's artistic approach to music impresses me. Using all the advantages of the orchestra while building melodic riffs with Samantha Escarbe's guitars, the songs are all testimonies of the band's know-how. Above all, Virgin Black retains its slow, languishing atmospheres that turn anything they touch to gold. If you need an example of an album that can be dark and heavy without shredding and blasting 90% of the time, this record is for you.
A few melodies from Requiem - Mezzo Forte reappear along the tracks with a culmination point on 'Darkness'. But it is not some patchwork re-use, far from it! The arrangements are more than tasteful and the whole album flows easily and leaves the listener astounded. Now, I have to underline the fact that listening to this is an intense experience, and some of you might not be drawn to such music. However, as far as symphonic as concerned, the meeting of Virgin Black and the Adelaide Symphonic Orchestra fashioned a reference point for any Metal band, and really, for any band.
Set to be release in February 2008, Requiem - Fortissimo is going to establish Virgin Black to yet another level, and they might attract more fans with this devilish, dark melodic opus. It is what music should sound like: dark, heavy, melodic, intriguing. Now, I am looking forward to Requiem - Pianissimo, yet to be released. But for now, this album is going to top my charts for a while.
Highlights: 'Darkness', 'Silent' and 'God in Dust'
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 10 |
| Originality: | 9 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written on 08.12.2007 by
Written on 08.12.2007 by
Bringing you reviews of quality music and interesting questions such as:"A picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is a song worth?"
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Comments
Comments:
21
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 Posts: 1018 |
Posts: 1018
So spoke well... Such an underrated band! Can't wait to hear this new work, Mezzo Forte was amazing IMO...
---- "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." Howard Phillips Lovecraft
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 Posts: 3139 |
Posts: 3139
Hope with this release they get a greater exposure, they really deserve it.
---- "Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died." Ser Jorah Mormont
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Posts: 398  |
Posts: 398
The masterminds are both Samantha Escarbe & Rowan London one can't create music without the other. Except that fact alone, great review.
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| Veneror
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| Adammm
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| Aphelion74
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Aphelion74
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I head "Silent" on their myspace. That male voice is a total disaster, I can understand the lower exposure than other bands. Take Therion's Lemuria/SiruisB, not es prog as Virgin Black and not that orchestral either, but...great atmospheres and a little difference: Mats Leven I guess I ll keep listening to Mezzo Forte which is simply divine! I think Fortissimo without horrible growls would have been much better, but hey i m no raw black/raw death fan. Thanks for the review Tutor, stay...canadian  Cheeeeers
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Posts: 212  |
Posts: 212
Can't wait to hear the full album... I think I heard a track from it on their myspace at some stage, too... and wasn't overly impressed (I can't remember why.. and I'd rather wait for the full album, to hear it again), but I'm still expecting my thoughts on the album as a whole to be very positive.
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| bluemobiusx
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Posts: 398 |
Posts: 398 Written by [user id=21959] on 09.12.2007 at 04:33 I had a similar feeling when I heard Mezzo Forte in the first place. I don't think that Rowan's growls are awful, they are pretty good, much better than your average death growler. The thing is that it takes time to grow on you.
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 Posts: 40071 |
Posts: 40071
Sorry but I have the same problem with this album and band as with Saviour Machine it just instantly puts me to sleep, that's how boring I find it. It is one of the couple of perfect cures for insomnia. And I don't find this emotional music at all. This is one of those bands I can't understand people going bonkers about.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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Posts: 268  |
Posts: 268
I saw them with The Oracle in toronto... they were amazing.
---- As above, so below.
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| madgirltheory
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| vargmetaleux
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 Posts: 99 |
Posts: 99
heyy ... I need the lyrics of Requiem - Fortissimo; my mother languaje is spanish so i dont understand some parts in the lyrics;:noidea: please sombody send me the lyrics ... thnks
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Posts: 180  |
Posts: 180
This trilogy of albums is far from being gothic...the metal element in both albums is funeral doom, growls included. Except probably for Silent and God in Dust. Both decent releases if you want (I know this sounds silly) to experience evil dungeons.
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Posts: 203 Written by Kinetic on 19.04.2008 at 19:34 Indeed, it's very much more doom oriented than gothic. I'll give it a listen, since I liked Mezzo Forte 
---- We fly through this godless endeavor, we try to explain the black forever
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| moonton
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 Posts: 3523 |
Posts: 3523
I finally picked up this album, and really, it's one of the band's best, if not their best altogether  Great vocal work as always, and finally the band gives us all the heaviness that they can, and does it with confidence! I'm still getting into the lyrics and such, but I think I will let their upcoming live performance in a few weeks let me in on the band's emotional spirit first!And I definitely agree about the disturbing aspects of the vocals... they are used with class and not done in an immature, cliche way that so many bands are content to use. Nice
---- "After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
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| THE_BLACK_GOD
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