Virgin Black
“Elegant and Dying”
(The End)
Impressive. This is dark, doom-laden music that isn’t full of self-pity or the usual depressed clichŽs of the dark metal genre. Virgin Black is forging a path through a forest they themselves planted. Some of their songs feature full choir. Instruments deployed in aid of songs include flute, cello, piano, keyboards and, of course because it is metal, guitars and bass and drums.
There are no blast parts or furiously grinding guitars here; Virgin Black pummel the listener via subtlety, not assault. They weave silky, yet sinister melodies filled with sorrow, loss and, that special edge, fury. Sometimes a well-placed piano interlude can bludgeon a metalhead better than all the growling, slobbering, speed picking and blast beating in Sweden. I urge you to check this band out.
