Band:	Tragic Black
Album:	The Decadent Requiem
Style:	Electronica, Gothic rock
Release date:	2006
A review by:	KwonVerge

01. In-Toxic-Nation (The Doom Generation)
02. Circuit 3
03. Surreal Catharsis
04. Suburbian Dystopia
05. Incinerate
06. Mad Hatter
07. Lost Time
08. Fading Echoes
09. Faith In Decay
10. Elegy
11. Smeared Eyes
12. The Decadent Requiem (The Awakening)
13. Parasitism
14. Holding Hands

Who said that death rock is dead? The scene just remained underground, nothing negative with that, on the contrary, a scene for not so many but good enough to keep it flowing is always welcome! Bands like Eat Your Make Up, Scarlet's Remains, Voodoo Church, Tragic Black, Black Ice, Cinema Strange, All Gone Dead etc are present to continue the glorious legacy of the 80s and they succeed to the maximum by either keeping an intense 80s air or offering a more modern sound! Tragic Black managed to return stronger than ever during 2006 after having signed up to Strobelight Records with a dynamite album, "The Decadent Requiem".

The sirens wail as the album opens and "the decadent requiem" starts unfolding its choir of decomposition in the ravenous atmosphere. The compositions are either a kick in the ass, offering bad-ass death rock soundscapes with screaming vocals and punk-rock-driven, heavy enough and full of energy guitar work devastating everything in its way (like in the hymn bearing the name "Surreal Catharsis") or move in more modern death wave soundscapes with wave oriented vocals (slightly distorted) and dark atmosphere, whereas a London After Midnight feeling is distinctive here and there (like on the very good "Lost Time"). We gather these elements and we add some intense electro/industrial references (like on "Faith In Decay") and a strong and modern production and we get the final outcome which is, with the hand on the place of the heart, very very good, filled with energy and atmosphere. Tragic Black as you might have noticed from the previous description offer a modern death rock hybrid, a death rock entity injected with a dark/death wave, industrial and punk rock overdose, something very positive since they tend to present something quite personal in the end, refreshing the scene with their own proposal of expression.

Despite the fact that the album consists of 14 compositions it flows in a deeply pleasant way without boring the listener with the overall variety of influences and sounds being spread through its whole duration, keeping the interest of the audience to the highest level. Some compositions i personally loved have to be "Elegy", "Surreal Catharsis", "Lost Time", "Incinerate", "Mad Hatter", "Fading Hopes", "The Decadent Requiem (The Awakening)", "Faith In Decay" and i suppose that the list could reach the 14th number without overreacting!

Adorers of straight-in-your-face death rock that never forgets to offer more atmospheric moments surrounded by a more modern sound prism shouldn't forget to check "The Decadent Requiem"! Keep the death-hawks in shape, death rock's not dead!

PS: A Rozz Williams and Specimen reference in the clean vocals is distinctive here and there!