Virgin Black
Requiem: Fortissimo

The colossal "Requiem - Mezzo Forte" by the Australian Virgin Black had literally enchanted me, with its imposing and dense gothicness tinged with long martyrdoms of strings, choirs, sopranos, and tenors, obviously in the shadow of a solid doom matrix. The real strength of this fascinating Christian Metal entity lay precisely in the ability to masterfully weave a tragic elegance with a classical aftertaste to simultaneously drown it in the dustiest and most leaden metal, without distorting the fragile and precious harmony of their more romantic and decadent side.

So far, I have spoken in the past tense. In fact, with this "Requiem - Fortissimo" (2008), Virgin change their tune (but not the underlying religious idea, mind you) showing the other side of their coin: what before made "Requiem - Mezzo Forte" a precious and elegant tapestry of rocky tears and lyrical torments is now relegated to the role of a simple yet incisive inlay. In fact, listening to the first track “The Fragile Breath”, I found myself with some astonishment facing a thick layer of dark and suffocating riffs, later joined by an abysmal growl and the sporadic highs of a soprano. Certainly, it was not what I expected, I even feared witnessing a failed experiment or worse yet a stylistic stagnation.

Fortunately, all prejudices proved unfounded: as listening progresses “Requiem – Fortissimo” develops a curious granite-like magnificence, clearly reveals a phantasmagoric symphony largely dominated and covered by the impenetrable cloak of riffs and lacerating solos, but which throughout the album remains nonetheless an important and decisive reminiscence of its predecessor “Mezzo Forte”. Thus, the desperate echoes of the aforementioned opener are repeatedly sublimated by a silent yet devastating eruption of imposing choirs, while the palpable fog of “Silent” is torn apart by biting violins and cellos and the graceful lyrical peaks that sporadically bloom like desolate bouquets of flowers on the barren blackness of a lava flow.

Continuing with the same formula, “God in Dust” represents the most apocalyptic and choral incarnation of the platter, reaching notable peaks of expressiveness with those whistling and scratching arpeggios that, towards the end, dissolve in the funereal sadness of a piano and in the night drapery of the strings. “Darkness” shows the group's most doomish spirit in its exhausting length, handled, however, with a certain mastery in creating morbid contrasts and blends; “Lacrimosa (Gather Me)” and “Forever” are instead short sketches of picturesque gothic harmony: the former glides on the river of tenors, contraltos, and basses, and the latter is a mute and painful promise of solitude in the presence of an autumnal piano that calms down without screams, without words, without glances, nor whispers.

This work can, in any case, satisfy both lovers of traditional doom and followers of the more epic and gothic doom, given its unique ambivalence. Unfortunately, there are those who detest this group for its marked religious and Christian attitude that can be clearly read in the lyrics of the songs; a disinterested religiosity focused on the idea of redemption and God, in this case interpreted in a more “apocalyptic” key, especially due to the devastating and profound atmospheres that reign throughout the album. Whether you agree or not with this choice is irrelevant because one thing is certain: the heavy and sacred atmosphere of “Requiem – Fortissimo” harmoniously aligns with the ideals expressed by the group, creating a union that is difficult to break.