Requiem - Mask Of Damnation
Sound Riot Records - srp.026 - 2004
By Philip Whitehouse
This is the second album from Finnish sextet Requiem, and sees them doing pretty much exactly what they were doing before, only with the benefit of experience behind them. Very little has changed - Jason Juta still did the cover artwork (which is quite stunning, actually), the mastering was handled by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios (production duties were handled by guitarists Teemu Hanninen and Arto Raisala), and the musical agenda is still the same - punchy, high-speed power metal with neo-classical and progressive elements thrown in.
In other reviews for this disc, comparisons to Dream Theater are being thrown around liberally, which puzzles me rather, since the excessive progressive noodlings are kept to a bare minimum - the keyboard intro in the title track, the technical space-rock workout in 'Ethereal Journey', and a brief section in 'Blinded' is pretty much all the overt prog-wankery you get. Generally Requiem get by on ludicrously speedy riffs, soaring leads, Jouni Nikula's unusually theatrical vocals and rampaging rhythms. 'Divine Illusion', for example, is a full-steam-ahead melodic-power-thrash stormer after it settles down from its finger-tapping intro. However, the band eschew traditional power metal choruses and lead hooks in favour of twisty-turny song structures and technical journeymanship.
And herein the problem lies. It's too simplistic to be truly progressive for the most part, yet the group's insistence on using fret-melting histrionics, however occasionally they occur, jars with the charging rhythms and leaves the songs without any clear hooks. Plus, the production is squeaky-clean, almost clinically so, and as any regular readers of my reviews will know, I like my metal to have some bite. So, what we have is accomplished musicianship in search of some focus in the songwriting department. An enjoyable, if flawed listen.
7/10
Requiem Official Website
Sound Riot Records Website
Sound Riot Records - srp.026 - 2004
By Philip Whitehouse
This is the second album from Finnish sextet Requiem, and sees them doing pretty much exactly what they were doing before, only with the benefit of experience behind them. Very little has changed - Jason Juta still did the cover artwork (which is quite stunning, actually), the mastering was handled by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios (production duties were handled by guitarists Teemu Hanninen and Arto Raisala), and the musical agenda is still the same - punchy, high-speed power metal with neo-classical and progressive elements thrown in.
In other reviews for this disc, comparisons to Dream Theater are being thrown around liberally, which puzzles me rather, since the excessive progressive noodlings are kept to a bare minimum - the keyboard intro in the title track, the technical space-rock workout in 'Ethereal Journey', and a brief section in 'Blinded' is pretty much all the overt prog-wankery you get. Generally Requiem get by on ludicrously speedy riffs, soaring leads, Jouni Nikula's unusually theatrical vocals and rampaging rhythms. 'Divine Illusion', for example, is a full-steam-ahead melodic-power-thrash stormer after it settles down from its finger-tapping intro. However, the band eschew traditional power metal choruses and lead hooks in favour of twisty-turny song structures and technical journeymanship.
And herein the problem lies. It's too simplistic to be truly progressive for the most part, yet the group's insistence on using fret-melting histrionics, however occasionally they occur, jars with the charging rhythms and leaves the songs without any clear hooks. Plus, the production is squeaky-clean, almost clinically so, and as any regular readers of my reviews will know, I like my metal to have some bite. So, what we have is accomplished musicianship in search of some focus in the songwriting department. An enjoyable, if flawed listen.
7/10
Requiem Official Website
Sound Riot Records Website
