After the release of a self-titled demo album in 1996, the group began gaining international recognition with 1998's "Trance" EP, signing with the End Records a year later.
Boasting a complex cinematic sound both gothic and metallic in nature, their debut album "Sombre Romantic" followed in 2000 and saw their core lineup augmented by choirs and string sections in the studio, the better to embellish their grandiose mood metal.
The second album "Elegant...and Dying" (2003) has a sad, epic but romantic sound. The extremely emotional arrangements are further enhanced by Rowan London's unique mournful yet poetic singing style. The songs are presented with numerous angles and at times coming out as soundtrack scores, at others as classical compositions or even as subtle weeping lullabies that make the music as dynamic as it is dark and passionate.
On March 10, 2006, The End Records announced in a press release that Virgin Black would be releasing three albums. The trio of albums is collectively titled "Requiem". First, "Requiem - Pianissimo", a strictly classically-oriented album featuring instrumentation from the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, choral singing, and solo singers. Second, "Requiem - Mezzo Forte", built on the styles Virgin Black used in their previous albums, with the band and the orchestra complimenting one anothers' sound and given roughly equal prominence. Lastly, "Requiem - Fortissimo", also featuring a classical influence, but primarily having a death doom metal sound heavier than anything Virgin Black had ever played before.
The centerpiece album, "Requiem - Mezzo Forte", was released in May 2007, coinciding with a show at the Elements of Rock festival in Switzerland followed by "Requiem - Fortissimo" in February 2008. The last in the series, "Requiem - Pianissimo" was released in November 2018.
Official webpages:
http://www.myspace.com/virginblackofficial
http://www.facebook.com/virginblackofficial
Of Your Beauty
Virgin Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My senses stand erect
This moment I am solitary
As you watch me, eyeless
Observe a brutal face
I need silence, I need to be alone
Look at me
My bony fingers wrapped in rags
My eyes will see, if my spirit lives
The wind shouts its commands
The earth has stopped my ears
I dare not raise my hand
To hold the stones around my throat
I have heard of your beauty
And would sacrifice my days
These midnight wanderings
And vain laments
Pour upon me
A sympathetic glance
My splendor has gone
You will find me face down
Let those days pass
In sorrowful procession
Among leafless groves
May a leaf unfold
I cry with rage
To be remembered with pity
Let the leaves unfold
Where dead leaves have rotted
Ask me what I suffer
Years of fruitless clinging
To enfeebled arms
That wave of benevolent salute
I have heard of your beauty
Pursue me, beckon me
To cast the stones from my throat
In the earth's dark entrails
My glazed eyes close forever
My my eyes will see
If my spirit lives
The song "Of Your Beauty" by Virgin Black is a poignant and introspective piece that explores themes of despair, heartbreak, and the search for beauty amidst the struggles of life. The opening lines "Wearing robes of solemnity, my senses stand erect" suggest a sense of solemnity and emotional distance, as though the singer is preparing to face some deep and difficult truth. This is reinforced by the later lines "Look at me, my bony fingers wrapped in rags, I am pursued and love is withered", which suggest a sense of isolation and desperation. The singer's desire for solitude ("I need silence, I need to be alone") and the powerful imagery of being choked and suffocated by stones around the throat further reinforce this sense of struggle and pain.
Yet amidst this darkness, there is also a glimmer of hope and beauty. The singer has "heard of your beauty" and would "sacrifice [their] days" to experience it. The image of "midnight wanderings and vain laments" suggests a sense of wandering and searching, yet the singer also longs for someone to show them empathy and understanding ("Pour upon me a sympathetic glance"). The repeated line "my eyes will see if my spirit lives" suggests a desire to transcend the limitations of the physical world and experience something greater and more profound than what is currently known.
Overall, "Of Your Beauty" is a powerful and deeply moving song which explores the depths of human emotion and the search for meaning amidst pain and sorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
Wearing robes of solemnity
In this moment, I am deeply serious and immersed in a ritualistic process.
My senses stand erect
My senses are heightened and alert to my surroundings.
This moment I am solitary
At this moment, I am alone and isolated from others.
As you watch me, eyeless
As you observe me, you do so without eyes, indicating non-judgmental observation.
Observe a brutal face
You see the harsh and unrelenting pain on my face.
I need silence, I need to be alone
I require complete silence and solitude to reflect and process my thoughts and emotions.
Look at me
I need you to see the gravity of my situation, to witness my struggle.
My bony fingers wrapped in rags
My hands are skeletal and emaciated, bound in tattered cloth, symbolizing physical and emotional decay.
I am pursued and love is withered
I am being chased by something and all that remains of love is its withering memory.
My eyes will see, if my spirit lives
If my spirit endures, I will continue to see the truth and beauty in life.
The wind shouts its commands
The force of nature is commanding me, urging me forward.
The earth has stopped my ears
The earth is blocking out any distractions so that I may fully hear the wind's commands.
I dare not raise my hand
I cannot make any sudden movements, for fear that I may disrupt the natural balance of things.
To hold the stones around my throat
I am weighed down by the heavy burden of my struggles, as if I am choking on stones.
I have heard of your beauty
I am aware of your beauty and seek to understand it.
And would sacrifice my days
I would give up everything I have for a chance to experience your beauty fully.
These midnight wanderings
My struggles have led me to wander alone in the darkness, seeking answers.
And vain laments
My sorrowful cries and regrets have been for naught.
Pour upon me
Let your compassion and understanding wash over me.
A sympathetic glance
A brief and understanding look, acknowledging my pain and struggle.
My splendor has gone
My former glory and beauty has vanished.
You will find me face down
I am lying down, exhausted and defeated.
Let those days pass
Allow time to pass, and with it, my pain and struggle.
In sorrowful procession
My journey is marked by sadness, but I must carry on.
Among leafless groves
In a barren, lifeless landscape, full of despair.
May a leaf unfold
May new growth and life emerge, giving hope for a brighter future.
I cry with rage
My anger and frustration are overwhelming, and I cannot contain them.
To be remembered with pity
I fear that my legacy will be one of sorrow and suffering, rather than strength and resilience.
Let the leaves unfold
May new life and hope continue to emerge, despite the pain and suffering of the past.
Where dead leaves have rotted
Even in the midst of decay and death, new life can still flourish.
Ask me what I suffer
Question me about my hardships and struggles, so that you may better understand them.
Years of fruitless clinging
For years, I have been desperately holding onto something or someone that cannot be saved.
To enfeebled arms
My arms are weak and tired from the effort of holding on for so long.
That wave of benevolent salute
Despite my struggles, I still receive gestures of kindness and compassion from others.
I have heard of your beauty
I am aware of the beauty that exists in the world, and long to experience it fully.
Pursue me, beckon me
Call out to me, draw me closer to the beauty that I seek.
To cast the stones from my throat
To finally be free of the heavy burden that has been weighing me down.
In the earth's dark entrails
Deep within the Earth, where new life is still possible despite the darkness.
My glazed eyes close forever
My time in this world has come to an end, and I am leaving with a sense of finality.
My my eyes will see
Even in death, my spirit endures, and I will continue to see the beauty in life.
If my spirit lives
If I have truly lived a life with meaning, my spirit will continue on, even after I am gone.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
R. S. V.
Wearing robes of solemnity
My senses stand erect
This moment I am solitary
As you watch me, eyeless
Observe a brutal face
I need silence, I need to be alone
Look at me
My bony fingers wrapped in rags
I am pursued and love is withered
My eyes will see, if my spirit lives
The wind shouts its commands
The earth has stopped my ears
I dare not raise my hand
To hold the stones around my throat
I have heard of your beauty
And would sacrifice my days
These midnight wanderings
And vain laments
Pour upon me
A sympathetic glance
My splendor has gone
You will find me face down
Let those days pass
In sorrowful procession
Among leafless groves
May a leaf unfold
I cry with rage
To be remembered with pity
Let the leaves unfold
Where dead leaves have rotted
Ask me what I suffer
Years of fruitless clinging
To enfeebled arms
That wave of benevolent salute
I have heard of your beauty
Pursue me, beckon me
To cast the stones from my throat
In the earth's dark entrails
My glazed eyes close forever
My my eyes will see
If my spirit lives