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
The Fragile Breath
Virgin Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Grief vents itself more violently
The hour of parting is at hand
Hope, your warmth failed
The famished are here, forsaken
Fleeting, fading, the fragile
Fading, the fragile
It drinks deep into the soul
Fleeting, fading, the fragile
It drinks deep into my soul
Drinks deep into my soul
Drink me deep
The opening lines of Virgin Black's song 'The Fragile Breath' describe a situation where someone is offering crippling words to someone with amorous eyes. The singer is bringing bad news and it is causing the person to grieve in a violent manner. This is a moment of parting that has been long anticipated and just as feared. It becomes clear that whatever hope there was of avoiding this moment has failed. The famished are present and they are alone, left to fend for themselves in a world that is rapidly fading.
The imagery in this song is incredibly evocative and the repetition of the line 'Fleeting, fading, the fragile' serves to highlight the fragile nature of life, love and relationships. The final lines of the song, 'It drinks deep into the soul/Drinks deep into my soul/Drink me deep' suggest that the singer is resigned to their fate and is willing to surrender themselves to whatever comes next.
Overall, 'The Fragile Breath' is a powerful and emotive song that explores the themes of loss, grief and the fragile nature of life itself.
Line by Line Meaning
Amorous eyes, crippling word I bring
I bring a powerful message that will cause pain and heartbreak
Grief vents itself more violently
The sadness and pain is being expressed in a more intense and aggressive manner
The hour of parting is at hand
It is time for us to say goodbye and separate
Hope, your warmth failed
Despite having hope, it was not enough to provide comfort and warmth in the end
The famished are here, forsaken
The hungry and needy have been abandoned and left to suffer
Fleeting, fading, the fragile
The delicate and vulnerable is fading and disappearing quickly
Fading, the fragile
The vulnerable is disappearing and becoming weaker
It drinks deep into the soul
The emotional and mental impact is significant and penetrating
Drinks deep into the soul
It affects the deepest parts of the emotion and psyche
Fleeting, fading, the fragile
The delicate and vulnerable is fading and disappearing quickly
It drinks deep into my soul
I am personally affected in a significant and penetrating way
Drink me deep
Let this emotion and experience consume me completely
Contributed by Makayla M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Renton90
The Fragile Breath
Amorous eyes, crippling word I bring
Grief vents itself more violently
The hour of parting is at hand
Hope, your warmth failed
The famished are here, forsaken
Fleeting, fading, the fragile
Fading, the fragile
It drinks deep into the soul
Drinks deep into the soul
Fleeting, fading, the fragile
It drinks deep into my soul
Drinks deep into my soul
Drink me deep
ivan madrigal
This song is perfect
DoomMantia
Excellent band
betterlife18
@Theshemproductions Check out their lyrics sometime. And dress/artwork doesn't have much to do with one's religion.
Chris Myers
i hate how people are always saying they are a christian band they really are not. I am christian and i like christian doom metal and goth metal but this band really is not i believe they just have some lyrics and themes that are influenced by christianity. And even if they were christian gothic metal, posting on there and saying they are might stop some closed minded people from listening to it unfortunantly.
David MartÃnez
could you tell me other doom and Gothic christian bands please
Jakub Klinger
They had Christian inspired lyrics, just were very malconent with church.
Jakub Klinger
They contemplated the suffering and misery from Christian perspective, read up some of the lamenting psalms and Book of Job again, these things are damn depressive