REQUIEM AETERNAM Philosopher
Icorp
2004
www.requeim-aeternam.com
1. Rectitude
2. Wisdom
3. Liberty
4. Logos
5. Antichrist
6. Desperation
7. Philiosopher
8. Untitled
Now, this is a surprise. This cd was sent to me and Ive never heard of them before, unaware of their history. The band began in Uruguay, September of 1995, with a slightly different lineup than their current incarnation. At the time, the band featured Martin Lopez of AMON AMARTH and OPETH on drums, along with fellow OPETH bassist Martin Mendez and Jose Romero, the sole original member of the current lineup, on guitar and vocals.
Now, without getting lost in the quagmire of lineup changes between then and now, lets jump forward to 2004. Romero is now joined by Maciej Kupiszewski on bass, and none other than Alex Hernandez of IMMOLATION on drums. Yes, the same man responsible for the footwork on Failure For Gods and Close To A World Below! So, lets just say after reading up on them, I was very excited to hear what these guys have to offer. It is not anything like I expected, which in this case is a good thing. As a trio, the band creates a cacophony that I usually only expect from 5+ piece bands. Theres math, black, death, traditional, all sorts of metal thrown into the blender on this one.
Scratching my head, I dont even know where to begin. There is no way to do a song by song analysis without turning this review into a short story with an index, multiple chapters and footnotes. I would advise upon purchase that the listener grab his/her best pair of headphones and completely lose themselves in this monumental piece of music. Wait until later to break it down song by song, youre better off that way.
Ive never heard of this label, but Id say its safe to say theyve got a winner here. Good job to all involved.
Rating: 9/10
Papa Josh
