The Green Evening Requiem - The Green Evening Requiem

circus_brimstone

Forest: Sold Out
Jul 5, 2003
5,154
13
38
40
Indiana
The Green Evening Requiem – The Green Evening Requiem
Self-Released – 2005
By Jason Jordan

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The Green Evening Requiem – located in the same city as the Phillies, Flyers, Eagles, and Sixers – cling to sadness just like those they can reasonably be compared to. Nonetheless, this band is oddly unclassifiable in the sense that one label doesn’t do them justice, even though they are arguably more in tune with death metal than any other genre or subgenre. At times paralleling Opeth, Agalloch, Gwynbleidd, et al, TGER is a sturdy outing from a group that has yet to reach their creative peak.

Still, the likenesses to Agalloch found in “Atlantis in Winter” are hard to resist, and are further strengthened by confident growls and soaring, clean vocals reminiscent of Extol’s tag-team of Espevoll and Sveen. While the production suffices, the quality surprisingly doesn’t nosedive even when the group move from 2005 Demo to Winter 2004 Demo – the latter occupying slots six through nine of the nine-track album. “Severance” is slightly more primitive in sound, beginning in the vein of USBM, but jettisons that influence as soon as it picks up enough momentum to fully lift off. Lamentably, however, The Green Evening Requiem aren’t moving in the direction that I prefer, judging solely on the progress made between the two demos. In other words, although the Winter 2004 Demo is under-produced, the compositions seem more original and have an unmistakable flair about them.

Technically speaking, this is a full-length record that achieves its latent goal of hinting at greater things to come. If they utilize the shitload of potential they most assuredly hold, then we may witness something truly special in the not-too-distant future. For now, though, The Green Evening Requiem are an interesting outfit that perhaps borrow too liberally from their more outstanding peers.

6.5/10

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Official The Green Evening Requiem Website