16/05/2004 |
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REQUIEM:
"Mask of Damnation"
requiem
Recorded and mixed at Sonic Pump Studios, Helsinki,
Finland, |
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review by Marco "Norman
Knight" Signore____ Requiem
is a band from Finland, founded in 1999, that proposes now its second
work, after a good success of their first album. Starting
from a melodic Death Metal, in this new record titled “Mask of
Damnation” Requiem propose a very interesting music that is not
confined in a single genre, but drift between the melodic death and the
melodic power a la Sonata
Arctica (after all, the keyboard player Henrik Klingeberg is in common
between these two bands), passing through a series of other bands that
demonstrate how wide is the musical horizon of this surprising Finnish
band! The
first track of this album immediately communicates an idea of energy and
aggressiveness as the voice of Jouni Nikula, that sometimes remembers a
“metal version” of Robert Smith (Cure) at once commands respect for
a very personal style of interpretation. “Blinded”
(this is the title of the song) with delicious harmonics on guitar, that
explode as the typical power metal drum marks a series of chord changes
that remembers of the old and good Helloween metal, a paragon that is
also evoked by the guitar duets as the bass and the drums march
relentlessly towards the chorus. A bridge marked by a symphonic series
of guitar notes and by a dark vocal line carries to the refrain, closer
to the Stratovarius style (the keyboards recall the Lost Horizon as
well). Blinded is exactly the type of song one would like as the first
song of an energetic album. But
Requiem don’t want to delude us, as a driving drum fill introduces “The
Dying Ember”, the second track of the disc. Well… we find
reminiscences of Prog Metal with sudden changes of tempo and misdirected
we find ourselves deep in a melodic power metal refrain (that strongly
remembers the Sonata Arctica), only to be displaced again by a very
unusual and original vocal line! This song is a mix of old and new
melodies that once again convinces the listener to ask for more.
Aggressive and stout guitar riffs accompany the bass and drums that
almost always walk in unison – while the guitar duet in the bridge is
a bit undertone as the hi-hat of the drum marks a very fast tempo that
explodes in a solo of guitar with dissonant changes of chords. Very well
done… even though we are again bewildered by the refrain that suddenly
explodes in a high pitched finale of vocals. No
rest as the portamento square lead synths introduce “Mask
of Damnation”, the title track. We
are entering almost a Prog Metal song here with interesting ideas, as
the vocals double with high and low pitch entwining upon an embroidered
melody of double bass drum and bass guitar. Sudden changes of
pitch in the vocals are almost as sudden changes of direction in a laser
light that dances in a maze of mirrors. And as yet another sudden change
of pace we are deep into an odd tempo synth solo that ends with almost
psychedelic sounds and we have no time to breathe as a piece of pure
musical genius expresses itself in a cameo that would not be out of
place in a jazz recording. This song is really born in a genius’ mind! But
there is no idle moment in this album as the synths again bring forward
the new song, “Divine Illusions”,
with a very interesting guitar pattern by Teemu Hänninen – and the
sudden everchanging voice of Nikula soars again above the raging river
of drums and bass and stout distorted guitars (in this also vaguely
recalling to mind faint memories of the long lost Watchtower). In this
song, however, the choice of sounds is more conform to the standard of Nordic
power metal (too close to Stratovarius & co.), although again with
the originality that pervades this band – and then again the guitars
change sonority and become a new travel in experimentation towards the
“perfect” harmony with the voice. Finally the song opens up with
major chords supported by a cadenced drum that leads us to the end of
this track in am ethereal major chord from the keyboard. And
that ethereal chord is not casual, because the following song is called Ethereal
Journey. Here the stop tempo is largely used as the very good voice
of Jouni again takes our
hand in this journey – the geniality of this
album is maybe in the ability of merging the classical (and frankly
overused) standards of melodic power a la Stratovarius with more innovative ideas. And yet this
song may appear the weakest in the album – but only to a casual
listener. Again varied tempos, sudden piano
excerpts, and the good guitar work (this time with a very strong bass
and ethereal sweep synths) show us that we are facing an old skeleton
evolved into something completely new, as the first birds evolved from
ancient dinosaurian progenitors. The drums of Jari Huttunen seem
to come directely from Vandergraaf Generator memories, as the guitar
really experiments with new harmonies within a fixed drum and bass
frame. No rest for the listener’s ears and mind,
whenever you think you have found a “classical standard” in the
music of this Finnish combo, the Requiem immediately shift and jinx like
a consumed practitioner of the Shaolin martial arts… you believe that
he’s moving this way, but he’s already striking you from the
opposite side. We
find Symphony X-style sonorities in “Shrine of the Ocean”,
maybe the most progressive-oriented song in this CD. Sudden
change of tempo leads us to a moving piano and guitar duet that
resembles at once some Genesis song of the first Seventies and the first
Symphony X songs – and then you find yourself listening to a metal
version of the Gentle Giant albums… but there again a new unexpected
change of direction in music drags us away, never giving rest to the
listener, never allowing the mind to stand on a single idea, but
constantly variating, as the waves of the ocean themselves… a
masterpiece in every single note. Jouni plays with his voice as it was
just another instrument in the band. WOW! That’s music in every sense!
Aggressive melodies leave place to intricacies that in turn change into
sweet melodies and then again change shape to move into liquid passages
of sound that become harsh again and so on… as the fluid motion of the
sea, always different and identical at the same time… I would like to
hear this song played live! And then again the prog sonorities a
la Symphony X conclude the song fading into an harmonized scale of
piano. The
intro of “Dagger” resembles a
more classical Melodic Metal song as the synth strings leave place to a
piano that rhythmically plays with drums and bass… but never lower
your guard! Again Requiem suddenly change their pace, and submerge the
listener with a torrent of rainy sounds that leave the intro behind and
become a very good melodic song with a mid tempo drum, never invasive
but perfectly merging with all the other instruments as the voice warns
us that “Dagger is falling again”. And
if you had yet any doubts on the technical quality of this combo the
last song of the CD, “The Rival’s Spell”
simply blow them away. I can hear the band winkling the eye to the 80s
metal, with full attention to prog metal of the 90s and the new metal
styles of the 21st century. Guys, this song rocks indeed!
Careful use of vocal effects upon a pad carpet as the voice of Jouni
again resembles a metal version of Robert Smith only to become harsh,
high and aggressive as you would dare to imagine. Magniloquent
choirs walk beside the main vocal line as we find reminiscent even of
Angra’s most symphonic production. And then again technical arpeggios
of piano introduce us the guitar solos that end in a ghostly synth-piano
cry…very well done, guys, very well performed! If you are in dire need of finding flaws in this record you will be in great problem. Maybe the drums are too “power metal”, maybe the sounds are too similar to bands like Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica… and maybe on the very high (and I mark the words very high) pitches the vocals are only a bit faulty… but are very minor marks in a very well conceived, performed, and produced work. A real surprise indeed. You cannot listen to a single song or to pieces of songs. No. You have to listen to the whole album before fully understand each of the songs – and even then you are only scratching the surface. Each song in this Mask of Damnation show that these guys have a very deep knowledge of music, with citation from practically every genre played since the Beatles started their “Revolution”. This
work is a must for every True Metaller, even though some
“purists” will surely scorn this or that sound or sonority. If
Requiem keep this pace, they will surely carve a name in the Metal
Olympus.
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| Marco
Signore |
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