Australian goth metallers Virgin Black released their first album in 2001. Now, in 2007, Requiem-Mezzo Forte is the grand opening for a very ambitious creation: three albums, separately released, but linked not only by lyrical contents, but also recurring musical themes and motifs. All three albums have been composed together simultaneously.

 

I’ll start by saying I’ve never heard anything quite like this before. Certainly not while working for Metalrage.com. Not only do I have a very hard time labeling Virgin Black’s music, the music is also composed very, very slow. Truly an album for the people with patience and enough concentration to focus on every aspect that this kind of music comprises.

 

Whether it’s in a positive or negative way, the music will touch you. I personally get very upset by this kind of music, and reading their bio I’m judging correctly as this music is partly connected to funeral music. Not something I’d like to listen to in my spare time to be honest.

 

The thing is, as I said before, you will get touched by the music on this album. Very bombastic orchestral parts (performed by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra) come by throughout the entire album, combined with dramatic and melancholic vocals and choirs. Add up some (metal) guitar and drum work that sporadically appear and you got yourself quite a good impression on what to expect. The songs are all very slow and contain a different kind of power than I was hoping for. Nevertheless, the atmosphere the album breathes out is extremely strong. So for that aspect, I gotta give this band my compliments.

 

Next to the bombastic and dramatic parts, Requiem-Mezzo Forte comprises a very classical atmosphere. That type of classical music you will probably only hear while your (grand)parents listen to it. Very epical, the album brings forward a feeling that’s hard to describe. A dark atmosphere in which you get caught and dragged away into the deep depths of your inner-self. It kind of sets the fundamental elements for an epic story but gives the listener room for its own interpretation of the story.

 

If you’re into bombastic orchestras, slow-paced songs with stretchy structures (the songs last between 8 and 15 minutes each), melancholic vocals and music with an enormous depth, this music will without a doubt please you from start till end. I might like it more listening to the trilogy as a whole ‘cause I’ve read that all the albums cover different styles of bringing this piece of art to the people.