Search - Virgin Black :: Elegant and Dying

Dark solemn beauty

J. C. Nisly | Kansas, USA | 03/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My title sort of sums up my feelings about Virgin Black. Over the past 2 years they have become my favorite band, and I consider both full length CD's to be master pieces.



Like Sombre Romantic, Elegant ... and Dying is gothic-influenced doom metal, a mix of brooding piano, operatic baritone singing, usually slow but occassionally black inspired riffing, incredibly emotional lead guitar, with the occasional black shrieks thrown in for good measure. Rowan London's incredible baritone and Samantha Escarbe's meaningful leads deserve particular mention.



However, unlike many dark metal bands, these elements are not simply thrown together but are part of the emotional whole formed by each song along with the honest, painful lyrics. Elegant... and Dying takes this completeness a step further, as the entire album seems to be one complete work of separate parts, rather than 9 separate songs as with Sombre Romantic.



To the reviewer who called it a Rowan London solo album, besides the fact that Samantha handled most of the lyric writing this time around, there's plenty of distorted guitar, but its always the right amount for the song. Additionally, while there isn't a solo on each and every song, a lot of the rhythm parts are harmonized parts with two guitars. Finally, while Virgin Black IS far from being a Christian band, and are anti-established church style Christianity, they have never and don't plan on ever being anti-God. Elegant...and Dying portrays the painfulness of faith in God, but in the end, though our wings are burning, hope remains."

A brilliantly dark and beautiful album.

Mr. Robert C. Wilson | London, uk | 10/18/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you know virgin black, all you need to know that it is generally better then their first full length, and is therefore deemed essential listening to any fan of doom metal, orchestral black metal, neoclassical, neofolk, etc...

If you dont know virgin black's sound, they make genuinly beautiful music. Whereas opeth, shape of despair etc.. make suffocating clostraphobic music, and agalloch make sparse cold music virgin black create an incredibly rich warm sound. It is, in their own words, "comfort in darkness" and no amount of reviewing could sum it up better then that. It is a dark album. a depressing album, but altogether a beautiful album. Comfortable, rather then desolate.

Piano, orchestras, timpanis, drums (with use of doube pedals) black metal inspired guitars, pianos, keyboards and classically trained vocals create a mixture of black metal, neoclassical, neofolk other genres.

on elagant and dying the band have a variaty of dynamics, from the double pedals in the 16 minute epic "the everlasting" to the timpani and brass driven beginning song.

The album can be heavy aswell, a stripped down black metal, which contrasts with the sparseness of the last song which i find the best on the album due to its desperate atmosphere.



this album however id not about individual tracks. It is a journey,an epic, a mood, an atmosphere, it is not sometihng to briefly listen to, it is something to get submerged in and is completely worth the time and money. I have been listening to metal sincei was 13 and this band are one of my favorites, and trust me when i say they are one of the most beautifel.



in short i would STRONGLY recommend this album to anyone who is into ;



green carnation

shape or despair

opeth

agalloch

neofolk

neoclassical

black metal



or anyone with some musical intelligence!

thankyou."

Painfully beautiful

Brian Skala | Fort Worth, TX United States | 10/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a very interesting band. They are pretty hard to classify and they are a variety of elements. This album composes operatic music, which at times reminds of the soundtrack of Phantom of the Opera. I wouldn't concider them full metal or full hard rock...or even full soft rock for that matter. They will blend some doom metal and a gothic atmosphere. But to me they are not fully either one of that either yet you can find them on doom-metal.com and also gothicmetal.net



Now that the subgenering titles are done with the music is invigerating. Rowen's chilling vocals range from low to high, whispering to crying with melacholic opera. Great piano parts all over and cool keys. Very creative drum patterns that play nicley to the guitar parts, especially during the doom parts."