REQUIEM - MEZZO FORTE

Virgin Black's sound on this first entry in their Requiem trilogy is mostly rooted in gothic metal - song titles like Lacrimosa (I Am Blind With Weeping) are the big clue there - with elements of doom metal and symphonic metal skillfully woven into their sound. The end result is somewhat more progressively flavoured than gothic metal typically gets, and the band show excellent taste in how they integrate the orchestra and choir they are backed by here into their sound, though there's somewhat too many long sections given over entirely to the orchestra and choir. "Symphonic doomy gothic metal" is a very specific niche to try and capture, but Virgin Black do a passable job of it.