Virgin Black (ver-jin blak) : An anomalous harmony between the juxtapositions of purity and humanity’s darkness.
“Sombre Romantic”, Virgin Black’s debut album brought together maturity and experimentation with a poise and dignity that few seem to replicate. Fittingly, upon its independent release the band was signed to Massacre Records (King Diamond, Fates Warning) for Europe and The End Records (The Gathering, Arcturus, Ulver) for the U.S. and now take pride of place in a fledgling scene that has a unique set of values that place artistic integrity over safety and familiarity.
A dark opera, a classical doom touched epic, a sinister soundtrack to life’s bitterness. So what of the follow up? Does it follow the path that its forbearer laid? Is it an experimental upheaval?
“Elegant…and dying” is an experience that does not feel the need to answer those questions. It is a natural, heartfelt outpouring which is painstakingly compiled while devoid of deliberate commercial strategy. A 75 minute, elaborate journey that few will comprehend or absorb without adequate time and thought. That said, the flow of the album entices the listener in with the first tracks offering a fragile, open simplicity that defies the challenging complexity that follows.
Again, one is astonished with the cohesion that is displayed by the two composers who insist on writing individually. Rowan London (vocals, piano and keyboard) and Samantha Escarbe (lead guitar) have intertwined their personal touches throughout the album’s entirety. Further enhancing the depth that the two display, Escarbe again handles the beautiful and poignant artwork for the album, while London demonstrates his prowess in the production department.
Along with the release of the new album, 2003 saw Virgin Black branching out on the live performance front. With a U.S. tour playing with America’s Agalloch and England’s Antimatter under their belt, Virgin Black moved onto the Wave-Gotik-Treffen festival in Germany where all expectations were surpassed and the band’s unique approach to its music encapsulated the large audience. The band continued in Australia with a national tour and rousing performance at Australia’s premier festival Metal For The Brain.
Having shared the stage with acts such as Opeth, Cathedral, Entombed, Paradise Lost, Vehemence and Tiamat, Virgin Black are gaining quite a reputation as a unique and powerful live act.
Further credits have included repeated soundtrack play on MTV programmes in the US. Voted editors top 10 best album of 2003 in Metal Maniacs (US), commendations from the Franco Corelli (Pavarotti, Bocelli) trained operatic tenor, Agim Hushi and being featured in the prestigious “Das Gothic-Und Dark Wave-Lexicon” encyclopedia.
The scope of its latest offering is ambitious almost to the point of absurdity. In a groundbreaking endeavour, Australia's premier experimentalists will release three albums simultaneously. Each is a separate entity, but each is also linked through recurring musical themes and artistic motifs. When fully unfurled in all its grandeur, listeners will experience a grandiloquent over two and a half hour Requiem Mass with three stages of evolution.
Requiem - pianissimo is an entirely classical album with instrumentation performed by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and featuring spectacular choral arrangements along with tenor, mezzo-soprano and soprano solo voices. "Requiem - pianissimo" forsakes guitars and drums in favour of the melancholic tragedy and bombastic dynamics of classical composition.
Requiem - mezzo forte is where the band joins the orchestra and strikes a balance more reminiscent of previous Virgin Black outings, albeit, with greater epic breadth.
Requiem - fortissimo unleashes a sound infinitely heavier than anything in Virgin Black's history. While still retaining an air of classical sensibility, it concludes the series with an intense dose of death/doom.
With Virgin Black, ambition is a given. REQUIEM is beyond ambition.
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