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.




