Regicide 'Viorus' review
Release date: 2004
Label(s): F.A.M.E.
Duration: 53:52
Details
- Behind His Eyes
- Funeral of Tears
- The Fragrance
- Lonely Voices
- Mastery Demise
- An Embracing Space, Part 1: The Trapped and the Leader
- An Embracing Space, Part 2: Paths Within Ourselves
- Along the Way
- Viorus
- Biography
Review
I haven't really enjoyed gothic metal for a while. Call me cynical, but it seems to have lost some of its originality, which is a real shame, because that's one of the main things that attracted me to it in the first place. Maybe this shouldn't surprise me as much as it does, since the genre has been around for a relatively long time now, and any originality has either been ripped off senseless (see Theatre of Tragedy pre-Musique), or disregarded completely (er.. see Theatre of Tragedy post-Musique).
So how does Regicide's first album, 'Viorus', stack up? I only bought the album today, so I don't have a hugely intimate knowledge of it so far, but it has already left a considerable impression on me. I sampled a few albums at Hellraiser today, but this one immediately stood out. Right from the opening track, "Behind His Eyes", this album hits hard — it's dark, heavy, and a breath of fresh air in a genre which has started to become stagnant.
There's a slightly unnerving feeling about this band's music, which works really well to create an atmosphere that few bands can pull off this well. It's not all doom-and-gloom, however, as the album also provides a slightly lighter, almost upbeat feeling on some tracks, most evident on "Funeral of Tears" and the album closer, "Biography". The two-part "An Embracing Space" in particular shows the versatility of this band, as well as their excellent songwriting skills. This epic piece of music seems to switch moods at will, with such ease and fluidity that any progressive metal band would be proud of.
Songwriting aside, the male and female vocals are also of a high quality throughout. In addition, the production and sound quality is excellent, and really allows the high quality compositions to be enjoyed as they were intended. Usually I might feel reluctant to rate an album after so few listens, but the exceptional quality and originality of this album is immediately evident. It's a crime I haven't discovered them until today.
9/10