Virgin Black

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Virgin Black
Virgin Black at the Elements of Rock Festival 2007
Virgin Black at the Elements of Rock Festival 2007
General information
origin Adelaide , Australia
Genre (s) Gothic Metal , Death Doom , Symphonic Metal
founding 1995
Current occupation
Vocals, piano , keyboard
Rowan London
Electric guitar, cello
Sesca Scaarba (Samantha Escarbe)
Electric bass, vocals
 Grayh
Drums
 Luke Faz
former members
Aaron Nicholls
Electric bass
 Brad Bessel
Craig Edis
Electric bass, vocals
 Ian Miller
Dino Cielo

Virgin Black is an Australian Gothic / Death Doom band with electronic and classical influences. So includes e.g. B. the “third” official album, which in turn consists of three CDs, a classic CD played by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra . The lyrics of the band deal with personal, religious topics in connection with Christianity and God (hence the assignment to Christian Metal ), but also leave room for your own interpretations.

Band history

In 1995, shortly after Rowan London and Samantha Escarbe founded the band, the band released their first demo called Virgin Black . Three songs (over 20 minutes playing time) opened the compilation Falling on Deaf Ears - Australian Metal Compilation No.4 in 1996 . This was the band's first worldwide release.

In the following years, the band became known through many appearances, initially in their home region.

In 1998 an EP was released called Trance , the song Whispers of Dead Sisters on the sampler Down Underground and finally on June 25, 2001 the debut album Sombre Romantic and two years later the successor Elegant… and dying .

In 2004 Virgin Black accompanied the Swedish progressive death metal group Opeth through Australia, in 2003 there was also a tour with Agalloch through the USA and two live performances in Germany (e.g. at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen ).

Since 2007 Virgin Black has been working with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra on the conceptual work Requiem , which consists of three albums: Requiem - pianissimo (orchestra only), Requiem - mezzo forte (band with orchestral accompaniment), and Requiem - fortissimo (pure death- / Doom Metal with few classical influences). The liturgical elements of a requiem (funeral mass) are processed in an artistically free execution .

Requiem - mezzo forte , the actually middle part, was published in May 2007. Requiem - Fortissimo , the pure Doom Metal part, was released in February 2008. The release date for the actually first part, Requiem - Pianissimo , was completely open until recently.

Furthermore, a new release of the 1995 demo on CD is planned for the near future.

In September 2018, the band released a clip on YouTube with two pieces from their first part of their Requiem trilogy, Requiem - Pianissimo (1st Requiem Aeternum, 2nd Dies Irae). At the end of September, Virgin Black announced the planned release of the album for November 30, 2018 on their Facebook page and on their redesigned website. For this the band has probably parted with their previous label. Requiem - Pianissimo was recorded with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and the Adelaide Stamford Academy Choir in 2006 and is classically orchestrated. In addition, apparently Samantha Escarbe changed her stage name to Sesca Scaarba.

style

Carsten Agthe ( Eclipsed ) identified a variety of styles on the debut album, primarily Gothic, then Black Metal , Progressive Rock as well as classical and romantic . He saw the strongest similarities to My Dying Bride and In the Woods… . He criticized the successor: "The uncontrolled pendulum between Metal, Gothic, Classical and Doom is in the way of the flow of music, yes it is extremely annoying for long stretches." In the "overambitious monsters" full of "ballast" one loses the overview.

Discography

  • 1995: Virgin Black (demo)
  • 1998: Trance (EP)
  • 2001: Sombre Romantic ( Massacre Records )
  • 2003: Elegant… and Dying
  • 2004: Our Wings are Burning
  • 2007: Requiem - mezzo forte
  • 2008: Requiem - Fortissimo

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Virgin Black. Retrieved October 2, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Home - Virgin Black. Retrieved October 2, 2018 (American English).
  3. ↑ VIRGIN BLACK official: Virgin Black: Requiem - Pianissimo (1. Requiem Aeternum 2. Dies Irae). September 4, 2018, accessed October 2, 2018 .
  4. ^ Carsten Agthe: Welcome To The Machine. Virgin Black . In: Eclipsed . No. 37 , September 27, 2001, pp. 65 f .
  5. ^ Carsten Agthe: Virgin Black. Elegant… And Dying . In: Eclipsed . No. 57 , November 2003, p. 52 .