Threnody is the latest release from Rottweiler Records’ extreme metal act Death Requisite. The first three songs of this EP are full performances, with the last three being instrumental versions of the first half.
From the opening notes of “Primogeniture”, a haunting vibe is established with strings, piano, and a beautiful, melancholy female voice – reminiscent of Simone Simons of Epica fame – giving the track, and EP as a whole, a very ethereal feel to it. This vibe is intermittently broken up by some very guttural black metal vocals that contrast quite nicely and add a whole different dimension to the song. In the end, this track is quite good and compelled me to listen further.
“Tormentor”, the shortest song on the album, starts off completely different, with technical guitars and a full-on metal assault really getting the blood pumping and the head banging for a full three minutes.
Give “Primogeniture” a listen.
It’s on the title track, “Threnody”, however, that I began to fall away. It’s a decent mix of the two styles and works quite well, and, for a while, I was totally on board. But, clocking in at over nine minutes, I began to lose focus and in the end I just kind of tuned out. I’m also not sure why the band included instrumental versions of the tracks; they really don’t do anything except maybe add some filler and a bit of time to the album.
At the end of the day, this is a somewhat decent listen that fans of the previously mentioned Epica might dig.
Threnody Track Listing:
01. Primogeniture
02. Tormentor
03. Threnody
04. Primogeniture Orchestral
05. Tormentor Orchestral
06. Threnody Orchestral
Run Time: 36:27
Release Date: June 29, 2018
Record Label: Rottweiler Records
