Requiem Aeternam - Philosopher
ICorp Records-I-03-2004
By Josh Phillips
Requiem Aeternam is a name many may already be familiar with mainly because current Opeth members Martin Lopez and Martin Mendez were a part of the original lineup, though I'm not sure they ever recorded any material with the band. Those two have long since departed with Maciej Kupizewski coming in as the new bassist and Alex Hernandez of Immolation fame taking care of the drum duties for this release. Philosopher is the band's second album, having previously put out a release entitled Eternally Dying. That record was recorded with a different line-up than the current one and released while the group was still in South America. Main man Jose Romero has since moved the band to New York and with this album prepares to reach out to a wider audience.
To begin with the positives, this is a highly original and ambitious work. This band has developed their own distinct sound and creates a strange and progressive trip through metal. The music constantly shifts direction from aggressive to serene and back again. There are a great deal of beautiful melodic passages, something I'm undoubtedly a sucker for, but there are also many heavy passages where these musicians get to show their ability. As you'd expect, Alex Hernandez turns in a solid performance on the kit, but I was really impressed with Romero's ability to put together some very interesting guitar pieces. Plenty of ringing harmonies and powerful riffs pack this album and the songwriting is also quite good. A lot of contrasting styles keep the listener interested in where the music is going.
As for the negatives, the vocals are really an acquired taste and weren't exactly my cup of tea. The clean vocals are a little bit nasally and the aggressive vocals somewhat shouty. The production is also a bit raw for a release of this style and the instruments sounded off at times. Especially the drum sound irked me in a couple of situations. The aggressive bits also leave a little something to be desired whereas the band has already got the mellow side down pat musically. A minor negative, at least for reviewing purposes, is that the lyrics were not included, though the basis for their writing is very intriguing. The lyrics are based on the writings of some famous philosophers such as Rousseau, Nietzsche and Sun Tzu. So make sure to look into those if you pick up a copy of this album.
All in all, this is a good album if your looking for something you could classify as progressive extreme metal. There is an interesting concept behind the album and it is always welcome to see a band forging their own path, even if it isn't quite my thing. I must commend Requiem Aeternam for putting out an effort that should appeal to many as a breath of fresh air. The major highlight of this release is the excellent third track, "Liberty," which showcases the bands softer side perfectly and is an absolutely infectious tune. Other highlights include the apparently untitled closer and the first two tracks, "Rectitude" and "Wisdom." This band is certainly going somewhere and I will definitely keep my eyes on them to see just where that path leads.
7/10
Official Requiem Aeternam Website
ICorp Records-I-03-2004
By Josh Phillips
Requiem Aeternam is a name many may already be familiar with mainly because current Opeth members Martin Lopez and Martin Mendez were a part of the original lineup, though I'm not sure they ever recorded any material with the band. Those two have long since departed with Maciej Kupizewski coming in as the new bassist and Alex Hernandez of Immolation fame taking care of the drum duties for this release. Philosopher is the band's second album, having previously put out a release entitled Eternally Dying. That record was recorded with a different line-up than the current one and released while the group was still in South America. Main man Jose Romero has since moved the band to New York and with this album prepares to reach out to a wider audience.
To begin with the positives, this is a highly original and ambitious work. This band has developed their own distinct sound and creates a strange and progressive trip through metal. The music constantly shifts direction from aggressive to serene and back again. There are a great deal of beautiful melodic passages, something I'm undoubtedly a sucker for, but there are also many heavy passages where these musicians get to show their ability. As you'd expect, Alex Hernandez turns in a solid performance on the kit, but I was really impressed with Romero's ability to put together some very interesting guitar pieces. Plenty of ringing harmonies and powerful riffs pack this album and the songwriting is also quite good. A lot of contrasting styles keep the listener interested in where the music is going.
As for the negatives, the vocals are really an acquired taste and weren't exactly my cup of tea. The clean vocals are a little bit nasally and the aggressive vocals somewhat shouty. The production is also a bit raw for a release of this style and the instruments sounded off at times. Especially the drum sound irked me in a couple of situations. The aggressive bits also leave a little something to be desired whereas the band has already got the mellow side down pat musically. A minor negative, at least for reviewing purposes, is that the lyrics were not included, though the basis for their writing is very intriguing. The lyrics are based on the writings of some famous philosophers such as Rousseau, Nietzsche and Sun Tzu. So make sure to look into those if you pick up a copy of this album.
All in all, this is a good album if your looking for something you could classify as progressive extreme metal. There is an interesting concept behind the album and it is always welcome to see a band forging their own path, even if it isn't quite my thing. I must commend Requiem Aeternam for putting out an effort that should appeal to many as a breath of fresh air. The major highlight of this release is the excellent third track, "Liberty," which showcases the bands softer side perfectly and is an absolutely infectious tune. Other highlights include the apparently untitled closer and the first two tracks, "Rectitude" and "Wisdom." This band is certainly going somewhere and I will definitely keep my eyes on them to see just where that path leads.
7/10
Official Requiem Aeternam Website
