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
Requiem Kyrie
Virgin Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The hour of parting is at hand
Sorrow ever awaits on joy
And has rendered me to (pieces)
Sorrow ever awaits on joy
And has rendered me to (pieces)
O death devour
Cover me with darkness
And paint me like death
I drown in remembrance
Sorrow ever awaits on joy
And has rendered me to (pieces)
Sorrow ever awaits on joy
And has rendered me to (pieces)
Requiem, Kyrie, requiem
Requiem, Kyrie, requiem
I drown in remembrance
Sorrow ever awaits on joy
And has rendered me to (pieces)
Sorrow ever awaits on joy
And has rendered me to (pieces)
Requiem, Kyrie, requiem
Requiem, Kyrie, requiem
The song "Requiem Kyrie" by Virgin Black opens with the repetition of the phrase "The hour of parting is at hand" which creates a sense of impending doom and the inevitability of death. The lyrics then move into a contemplation of the relationship between sorrow and joy. The lines "Sorrow ever awaits on joy, And has rendered me to (pieces)" suggest that joy and happiness are always accompanied by the possibility of sorrow and pain, and that this constant cycle has left the singer feeling broken and fragmented.
The second half of the song is a plea to death, as the singer asks to be consumed by it and covered in darkness. The repetition of the phrase "I drown in remembrance" emphasizes the idea that past memories and experiences are suffocating the singer and that death would be a release. The repetition of the phrase "Requiem, Kyrie, requiem" further reinforces the theme of death, while the use of the Kyrie, a pre-Christian prayer for the dead, adds a sense of mourning.
Overall, "Requiem Kyrie" is a melancholic meditation on the inevitability of death and the constant presence of sorrow in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
The hour of parting is at hand
The time of separation is imminent and unavoidable.
Sorrow ever awaits on joy
And has rendered me to (pieces)
Where there is happiness, sorrow is not far behind and it has left me shattered and broken.
Drink me deep
O death devour
Cover me with darkness
And paint me like death
I drown in remembrance
Take me completely, death. Hide me in darkness and make me appear dead. I am consumed by memories of the past.
Requiem, Kyrie, requiem
Requiem, Kyrie, requiem
A plea for eternal rest and salvation.
I drown in remembrance
I am overwhelmed and suffocated by the memories of the past.
Contributed by Micah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@lissangel6418
The hour of parting is at hand
The hour of parting is at hand
Sorrow ever awaits on joy
And has rendered me to (pieces)
Sorrow ever awaits on joy
And has rendered me to (pieces)
Drink me deep
O death devour
Cover me with darkness
And paint me like death
I drown in remembrance
Sorrow ever awaits on joy
And has rendered me to (pieces)
Sorrow ever awaits on joy
And has rendered me to (pieces)
Requiem, Kyrie, requiem
Requiem, Kyrie, requiem
I drown in remembrance
Sorrow ever awaits on joy
And has rendered me to (pieces)
Sorrow ever awaits on joy
And has rendered me to (pieces)
Requiem, Kyrie, requiem
Requiem, Kyrie, requiem
@geeruturtle1859
A random guy recommended this band, specifically this song.. and I want to thank him.
@gilbertomiranda5058
some songs are timeless. listening in 2018
@jonalee7382
Listening in 2019
@arminmirmohammadsadeghi4355
listening in 2020
@rafaelcastanedo7446
2020 here... aged eerily well tbh
@Harper678
2021 here!!!
@a.bjordi4100
2021 here ×2
@thiagoc4358
I spent years of my life trying to remember the name of this wonderful band that I met over ten years ago and ended up losing in an old mp3 that broke in half but the tune of Requiem, Kyrie doesn't get out of my head. Today I found it and found you again with this amazing work of art.
@bradykaiser3540
I know I'm kind of off topic but do anybody know a good website to stream newly released tv shows online ?
@jaypee6061
@Brady Kaiser ...no .