ELEGANT... AND DYING

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.