VIRGIN BLACK

Hailing from Australia, Virgin Black began their life as a death/doom metal style band under the name of 'Adelaide'. By the time the group had signed with a major label, and released their first album, they changed their name and also diversified their sound to include classical stylings by adding operatic and choral style passages, becoming more dynamic and diversified, and coming up with what has been called 'Gothic Doom', but actually has a much more refined and varied sound than that. Their music, when all put together, ends up being dark, yet emotional, sometimes harsh, but always with a sense of beauty and loneliness. Their music definitely strikes a chord far beyond just being noisy and depressing. It is well composed and is well deserving of being considered a progressive band which includes elements of symphonic and classical styles.

Through the years, the two founders Samantha Escarbe (lead guitar) and Rowan London (lead vocals, keyboards, piano) have lead the band. At the time of their debut full-length album 'Sombre Romantic', the rest of the band consisted of Craig Edis (vocals, guitar), Dino Cielo (drums), Ian Miller (bass, vocals), Aaron Nicholls (bass), and Chris Handley (guesting on cello) and even include a 7 person choir. In 2002, the album was re-pressed and included their EP 'Trance' as a bonus disk.

'Opera de Romanci I: Stare' begins with a short chant-like intro and then brings in the cello and guitar playing mournfully, and the music sounds pensive and dark, similar to 'Agalloch'. London's vocals begin in tenor register, and is supported by dramatic use of the choir. The music reminds me of 'Orff' s 'O Fortuna', the same dark and expansive sound of choirs. 'Opera de Romanci II: Embrace' follows the same style, but soon is interrupted by heavy guitar chord explosions and a slow rhythm, and then it calms to soft guitar and bells, then more dramatic, symphonic sound again, followed with a dark electric guitar solo. As it continues, the symphonic sound returns now creating a cinematic sound, and then full power slam of the guitars and percussion again.

This is the sound you will be experiencing on this album. And it is all very surprising how well it all works together. 'Walk Without Limbs' jumps around with dynamics, with a loud section and almost screaming vocals to beautiful choir sections and melodic passages. 'Of Your Beauty' shows the limitless range of London's vocals as now he sings in a lower register in full, almost operatic voice while piano chords play under his dramatic voice. Repeating piano chords and orchestral hits build up the tension while he continues to sing, and then continues when the choir follow behind him. Later, the piano plays in a rhapsodic fashion and the guitar comes in bringing in metal power at the same time, and it all fits together very well, not sounding tacky and contrived like other metal bands that have tried the same thing. This is musically a step above all of that.

'Drink the Midnight Hymn' starts off louder, with screaming vocals, which later become more melodic, but the singing is just as powerful as the screaming. So is the choir when it sings its parts. Again, dynamics play an important role as noise gives way to softness and then returns to thick and heavily layered guitar work with plenty of doom metal sound. 'Museum of Iscariot' is the longest track here and is actually divided up into 3 sections: 'Stagnation', 'Death' and 'Procession'. This one is more lyric heavy, but has a great guitar solo on the last section. "Lamenting Kiss" is my personal favorite of the album.

As the album continues, the music on this album is surprisingly clear and crisp, making it all the more interesting and dynamic. Most goth music tends to be thick and muddled, and that is almost the complete opposite on this album as it goes through both heavy and quiet sections, but all the while the music retains a dark and evil tone. There is a lot of beauty and emotion to this album and the thing that makes it all is the dynamics. It all proves that there is power not just in the heavy sections, but also in the quieter sections. There is plenty of great guitar here, but also progressiveness that sees the music soar to great heights and complexities. The album doesn't quite make the 5 star rating, but it definitely comes close and it is also a favorite of mine.

Virgin Black's first studio recording "Trance" was this 3-track CD released in 1998, three years before their first studio album. As far as I know, these tracks have not been made available anywhere else. This EP was a good indication that this was going to be a band willing to go new places and that would stretch the boundaries of dark, gothic, post-metal.

Starting with "Opera de Trance", we get an ominous repeating piano riff surrounded by an almost trance-like percussion. At first you are questioning whether this is actually metal of any kind, until the heavy guitars explode on the scene with drums more fitted for metal. Vocals somewhere between whispering and growling start out on the verses and an operatic bridge will surprise at first. The track, however, quickly ends as it started.

That track seques almost immediately into the heavier "A Saint is Weeping". The vocals on this one are more of a spoken word with that operatic voice on the short chorus. The guitar riff is enough to get the heart pounding though, and soon, it changes to a more complex progressive metal solo. The vocals might take a little getting used to at first, but they are not that bad, and the slight growl is not annoying. But it's the instrumental breaks that show that this band is a few steps above the bar for goth music, even though there is that atmosphere to all of their music.

Last of all is the 7+ minute "Whispers of Dead Sisters". The vocals here are somewhere between a melodious Gregorian monk and the off-key operatic attitude, it fits the goth label well, but the music is done much better. This track is a slower beat and has very solid progressive metal leanings. After a while, the track becomes a bit softer with a lovely piano accompaniment to a more sensitive vocal. After a minute or so, the guitars join in again. Later, a quick bass line brings in a more intense dynamic and faster tempo as it builds in tension. As the frantic singing continues, there is an ominous whispering going on behind it. Suddenly, the intensity drops and there is a single synth playing an oboe effect while a minimal bass hold it together, then whispering starts again. Then a final guitar solo churns along to the slower tempo to close out the track.

This EP is much too short, but it is a great introduction to the band's music. It will leave you wanting more, mostly because of the excellent guitar work and piano work on the softer passages. The vocals are the hardest part to swallow, but they will get better, and once you get used to the frantic operatic style, you won't mind them so much because everything else is stellar. The big problem is, the CD is going for $55 on amazon, so I would imagine it is best to get one of the albums first and patiently search for a bargain on the EP. 3 stars because it is too short, but the music is great.

"Sombre Romantic" is the debut full-length studio album by Australian goth/doom/symphonic metal act Virgin Black. The album was originally self-released in February 2001 but saw a label release through The End Records in 2002. Virgin Black were formed in Adelaide, Australia in 1995 and they released the "Trance" EP in 1998 as their first release.

The music on "Sombre Romantic" is a rather eclectic goth/doom metal style including choirs, strings, piano, and semi- operatic singing. The atmosphere is drenched in melancholy, which can be heard in both the way the vocals are performed and in how the melodies sound. While it's truly an epic release with several majestic moments, it's also quite a dynamic release also featuring more stripped down and quiet melancholic sections. Some tracks also feature more extreme type vocals, and it's safe to say "Sombre Romantic" is a diverse release.

The diversity also makes it slightly inconsistent in style, which can be a strength or a weakness depending on the ears who hear, but personally I could have wished for a more stylistically "clean" release. Not that variation isn't a good thing, but more because Virgin Black are more convincing playing some styles than others. The album for example opens very strong with "Opera de Romanci: I. Stare" and "Opera de Romanci: II. Embrace", but can't quite follow up the powerful and epic opening with something equally breathtaking. All material on the 10 track, 44:25 minutes long album is still very well written though, and overall "Sombre Romantic" is quite the intriguing release.

The sound production is professional, clear, and well sounding, and upon conclusion "Sombre Romantic" doesn't sound like a typical debut album. Other than the flow of the album, which is disturbed slightly by the stylistic diversity of the music, it's a pretty impressive release and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally written for Metal Music Archives)

This is a surprisingly well-done album full of gothic-metal prog done with an almost perfect balance of symphonic prog and progressive metal with just a touch of post-metal. The vocals are amazing with the lead singer belting out operatic type vocals with all types of vocals and a very small sprinkling of harshness, but not over the top. This is probably the first symphonic/operatic metal album I have heard that doesn't sound cheesy most of the way through. Virgin Black achieves believable orchestration that sounds totally in place every time which is something other symphonic metal bands like Savatage has had a hard time achieving.

It is hard to call this a thoroughly metal album though because there are so many dynamic differences in each track that you never get tired of any sound, except for maybe the first half of the epic 17 minute track "The Everlasting" which tends to drag a bit. But that is a very small problem as there are a lot of epic tracks on this album that are so well composed. This album is not a complete wall of metal either. The vocals, for the most part, are amazing, the musicianship is excellent and there is such a variety of sound and surprises here that it seldom gets boring. Heavy guitar is prominent in places and in others there is some beautiful piano and other acoustics. There are sudden changes in sound at times and other times it's gradual, but it is always well orchestrated and always cohesive. It is not choppy like many other albums where bands try to achieve this sound.

There are a few times the vocals can be slightly cheesy, but not too often. But the lead vocalist also shares a lot of time with a very dark choir giving the music a classical feel which also fits so well with the symphonic aspects of the album. The balance, like I said earlier, is perfect. The songs are mostly dark, but the rhythm is varied so that everything on here is not just a funeral- sounding dirge like many would be afraid to hear by a gothic band. Instead, there is some of that, but there are also fast passages and truly beautiful passages. The sound is somewhat similar to that of Agalloch, but with less growly vocals and better singing. The acoustics though are more pointed towards keyboards than guitars though and that is one difference. The overall feel is more gothic than folk which is another difference. The sound on this album is more theatrical than Agalloch also.

I have to admit that this a lot better than I expected. The compositional quality, the balance of sounds and styles, the great mix of loud and soft (dynamics), the addition of choir vocals, killer hooks and beautiful passages; all of this makes for a quality album which would be an excellent addition to any prog rock collection. The best thing about it all is that there is a perfect balance of moods and styles here. A lot of metal purists might not like the fact that the heaviness of the album is shared so evenly with the softer parts of the album, they tend to like the loud headbanging sound to be more prevalent on an album. But for me, I love both sounds especially when it is balanced so well. Surprisingly well done.

Virgin Black's sound on this first entry in their Requiem trilogy is mostly rooted in gothic metal - song titles like Lacrimosa (I Am Blind With Weeping) are the big clue there - with elements of doom metal and symphonic metal skillfully woven into their sound. The end result is somewhat more progressively flavoured than gothic metal typically gets, and the band show excellent taste in how they integrate the orchestra and choir they are backed by here into their sound, though there's somewhat too many long sections given over entirely to the orchestra and choir. "Symphonic doomy gothic metal" is a very specific niche to try and capture, but Virgin Black do a passable job of it.

4.5 stars. It was Avestin's personal review of this album about a year and a half ago that moved me to purchase this record. Assaf has recommended so many bands and albums to me over the years that i've lost track. Yes this is dark and melancholic but it has lots of life to it as well with those distorted guitars and heavy outbreaks all of which reminded me of IN THE WOODS... more than any other band. I really do enjoy this style of music once in a while, I think it's that emotion that cries out of the darkness that moves me. I think anyone who's been on this planet as long as I have knows pain, and I know it very personally.

"Adorned In Ashes" is dark with these choir-like sounds and a beat. Cello and atmosphere follow.The vocals and style here remind me of DEAD CAN DANCE but I can honestly say that this was the only time I thought of them. Piano and a calm late. "Velvet Tongue" has these almost spoken words as a heavy beat joins in. More passionate vocals before 2 1/2 minutes with mournful guitar riffs.The tempo then picks up and he's almost screaming the words at one point. It settles again as contrasts continue. "And The Kiss Of God's Mouth Part 1" is slow moving with keys then some emotional guitar joins in. Whispered words late as it blends into "And The Kiss Of God's Mouth Part 2". It kicks in fairly heavily before calming right down with piano and reserved vocals.The guitar replaces the vocals as it turns more powerful. It kicks in even more before 3 minutes and later at 4 minutes. Love this !

"Renaissance" sounds amazing ! Heavy chanting and riffs to start. It calms down with fragile vocals before 2 minutes.The chanting is back after 4 1/2 minutes and it gets heavier when they stop. "The Everlasting" is the over 17 minute epic. Piano as vocal expressions join in. Atmosphere rules 1 1/2 minutes in as vocal sounds come and go. It's fuller with vocals 4 minutes in. It calm down with piano only before 7 minutes then a beat joins in. It kicks back in before 10 1/2 minutes. Nice.Vocals are back 13 1/2 minutes and he's screaming 15 minutes in, then this beautiful calm takes over and waves of sound ends it. "Cult Of Crucifixion" opens with percussion and angelic sounds. Piano joins in. Guitar and a heavy sound kicks in at 1 1/2 mintes. Vocals before 3 minutes as it settles. It kicks back in a minute later and the vocals are emotional before we get another calm. It's heavy again before 6 minutes then it picks up. "Beloved" is mellow then it kicks in.The vocals cry out. Mournful guitar 5 1/2 minutes in and it's building a minute later. Nice. Growly vocals late are AGALLOCH-like. "Our Wings Are Burning" opens with piano and percussion standing out. Reserved vocals join in. Strummed guitar follows then we get heavy guitars before 3 1/2 minutes. Passionate vocals a minute later. My God ! It settles back again and the guitar solos tastefully.

This might become a five star album for me. It's long at 74 minutes so there's lots to digest but man I love this album.

Virgin Black's second album is a 75 minute opus that should suppress any remaining doubts that they mean business. Big epic melodramatic business.

The result is still very satisfying but it's become a less versatile album then the debut. It is quieter and more coherent but only seems to explore its dramatic Goth potential. The metal and progressive sides of the music have become less prominent. As it turned out, alternating metal-styled albums with more laid-back material turned out to be something of a career choice for Virgin Black, quite similar to the US Goth metallists of Christian Death, who must have been an obvious point of inspiration.

There are great pieces of music where looming doom-riffs and spacey blues guitar leads provide memorable moments as on The Kiss of God's Mouth and Cult of Crucifixion. But with only one mood to sustain for 75 minutes, the album is too long. The operatic 20 minute musical drama of Everlasting goes entirely over all bombastic peaks reached by other Goth bands before them. Quite an achievement that is. I'm not too impressed by the music but still it's more attractive then Hammill's House of Usher for example. At least here it sounds really spooky and chilling.

Virgin Black is a great band with more talent then 20 random Goth bands put together. Their inclusion of operatic metal and ambitious drama might sure make them an interesting listen if you're attracted to the idea of progressive Goth rock. To be checked by lovers of Therion, My Dying Bride Type O Negative and Hammill's House of Usher. (That might be an eclectic bunch of people actually) 3.5 stars.

Virgin Black's debut does exactly what the album title promises. They are clearly deep in mourning and decadently romantic. Their music is hard to put into just one category, there are elements of goth, black and doom metal, but also soft acoustic guitat parts, mostly melodic and slightly operatic vocals, beautiful bluesy guitar solos, symphonic keyboards and melodious pianos.

Because the music is hard to describe, I need to refer to other bands to draw similarities. A first is My Dying Bride from around their second album Turn Loose The Swans. Virgin Black improves that sound with better vocals and great Gilmouresque guitar solos as on Museum Of Iscariot. A second reference would be Therion. The second track Embrace for instance features a choir introduction that sounds just like Therion on a particularly drowsy day. Also Agalloch can be mentioned. On Drink the Midnight Hymn Virgin Black bring an operatic version of a similar type of epic black metal. Also the overall sound is quite similar to Agalloch's albums. The integration of moody acoustic pieces and ambient experimentalism adds Ulver to this extensive list of references.

The songwriting is excellent throughout and with the extensive range of styles it makes for a varied and dynamic album. Fans of the bands listed shouldn't hesitate, and others shouldn't turn their backs too quickly neither. This music incorporates many forms of modern metal but it can hardly be tagged extreme. Instead it's heavy, dark, melodic and very moving.

'Requiem Fortissimo' - Virgin Black (3/10)

While it might not be the most inspiring word-of-mouth introduction for a band to hear your friend tell you to give 'one of the worst albums he has ever listened to' a try, but as always, music is a very subjective experience and I like to treat it as such. While there are aspects of music that appeal to a majority of people, there will always be pieces of music that some may hate, and others love depending on their outlook and ear.

'Requiem Fortissimo' may well be one of those albums that could be perceived as a total masterpiece by one with an ear attuned enough to doom metal to appreciate it. While I have dabbled in the realm of doom before (from the likes of early Anathema and Katatonia to Shades Of Despair and Draconian) I've been able to see real beauty in some of the music the genre spits out, but above anything, its a real hit-or-miss deal. If something doesn't work, it really won't work. 'Requiem' definately had alot of thought put into it, but in the end; a few shortcomings in the work truly mar what might have been a landmark doom record.

When I speak of the 'thought' and effort put into the making of it, its important to know that the band went as far as to enlist the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (generally perceived to be Austrailia's flagship philharmonic) and choral sections to add to the sound. While this does certainly make 'Requiem' a much more worthy venture than other albums I've listened to, the rest of the mix hurts the orchestration alot. The guitar riffs are generally unimaginative save for a few precious arrangements, and the growl vocals are truly atrocious. While there are a few soprano operatic sections, and parts where the orchestra has room to breathe, these sections frankly aren't worth going through all of the monotonous guitar drone and grunting to get to them.

While it might be a suitable backdrop for a wintery, frostbitten evening, this depressing and dissapointing opus from Virgin Black will not appeal to many outside of the doom metal circle. I for one, can find stuff to appreciate here, and it's certainly not the worst album I've ever heard, but I would much rather delve into a more fulfilling record then this; as there are plenty out there that trump over this one.

It's autumn 2004. Late at night while everyone is asleep I am still awake. Thoughts keep filling my head; worry and distress keep me up. So I decide to put a record on; one that would fit my current mood and perhaps alleviate some of the pain. Some people would put on uplifting music, an album they know and that always puts a smile on their face.

Not being my way, I put on an album that is as dark as was my (then) current state of mind. Elegant? And Dying, the second full-length album by the Australian doom/gothic metal band Virgin Black fits perfectly. The music resonates with grief and agony. The intensity of angst and heartache is overwhelming here. The saw-like riffs of the guitar cut through the silence of the night. The tormented voice of Rowan London, the main writer along with guitarist and cellist, Samantha Escarbe, is a guiding light amidst the sea of pain oozing from their music. Going from low to higher pitches, from soft singing to anguish filled tones to angry and frustrated cries, he thus achieves a wide range of sentiments and sensations (though mostly of the dark and melancholic kind). His voice personifies the entire emotions the music creates and that the lyrics tell about. Words about love and religion, loss and desertion, suffering and desire, despair and betrayal; but most of all, hope. Yes, it seems odd, but hope is in here, quite revealed in the text; the yearning to amend things, to improve life, aspiring for a change, the need to make things better.

You should not expect songs, not a usual path of music writing but a depiction of a human state of mind, a mind in extreme conditions, on the edge of sanity, the brink of collapse. And yet the music is beautiful, despite whatever mood it reflects and regardless of how odd it may sound at times, as the band is not timid of going into unconventional musical landscapes. Yes the music takes the form of doom and gothic metal, but the outcome is beyond that, for me. It is the emotional connection perhaps, but to my ears (or more exactly, brain) the end product here is has high impact with its beauty, intensity, intricacy and emotional characteristic. There is variety here, though it may elude some. A mellow and quiet approach, say with keyboards or piano alongside the choir is substituted for an abrupt aggressive sounding guitar lead segment and intense (mostly slow) drumming. Velvet Tongue is a fine example for their shifting directions and emotional surges. Their more "experimental" and out-there moments are also fascinating. As an example, the long song, The Everlasting, is an eerie and peculiar piece, very spooky when listened to late at night in the dark and very appropriate as well. It could fit very well in old black and white mystery or horror movies. There is a tremendous sense of gloom and despair but of power as well that emanates from the music here. The song goes from an abstract form to more a constructed sense and follows with the full band joining in full force later on in a brutal (in Virgin Black standards) aural assault and driving guitar riff and drumming. In fact this is the best song to hear what drummer Dino Cielo is capable of. It is also a fine example of how much anger lurks in the core of their music, in the back of their minds. This is an outcome of frustration, of being suffocated emotionally and spiritually. All the buried anger bursts out explosively, and the music here depicts it beautifully.

The songs are mostly linked or at least flowing naturally from one to the other and this way form, as I hear it, an uninterrupted course that makes this album one long piece that is divided into several sections. Not that it's impossible to listen to individual songs, but I prefer mostly to listen to it in its entirety and don't pay too much attention to what song I listen to at a particular moment.

This is an album for those who ache but want a way out, a way to relieve themselves from pain; an album for those who would like to hear a different take on doom metal, an exploratory form that puts high emphasis on the emotional side of composing. A perfect companion in late winter nights, with a hot beverage in hand.