Virgin Black is releasing a trilogy of albums this year. Although Requiem: Mezzo Forte is the second in the series, it is being released first. Requiem: Pianissimo and Requiem: Fortissimo will see the light of day later on in 2007. If you remember your terms from high school band or orchestra, "pianissimo" means quiet, "mezzo forte" is medium-loud and "fortissimo" is loud. Those titles accurately describe the mood, tempo and intensity of each of these three albums.
Requiem: Mezzo Forte has a lot of classical influences. It took a while for any metal to kick in, but there are some metal guitars in a lot of the songs. The mood of the songs is somber and melancholy, and as the title indicates, they are mostly mid-tempo. Virgin Black recruited the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra to play on the album, and the songs have a grand and dynamic feel to them.
The vocals on this album are operatic, mostly sung by a female soprano with some male tenor vocals as well. The vibe is much more classical than gothic, and it may be too mellow for some metal fans, but Virgin Black has composed an epic album. I'm really interested to hear Requiem: Fortissimo, which is supposed to be heavier and more intense.
