Reviewed - 02/01/05

Philosopher
[ICorp Music]

Requiem Aeternam once featured Martín López on drums and Martín Méndez on bass guitar. Nowadays, these two musicians play in Opeth.

Did that get your attention?

Founded in 1995, Requiem Aeternam is a three-piece metal band from Uruguay (that's in South America, for you geographically-challenged readers). López and Méndez were among the original line-up, though they left the band before Requiem Aeternam recorded their debut EP "Eternally Dying" in 1997. I always wondered why half of Opeth had Spanish names. Now I know (and you do too). I've not yet heard "Eternally Dying," but if it is anything like "Philosopher," the band's full-length debut, it is a necessary addition to my music library, and doubtless a fantastic listening experience.

Requiem Aeternam are incredibly complex, and very difficult to pin down long enough to put together a description. The music is more similar to black metal than anything else, with aggressive guitars and percussion and despondent melodies. There are also a great many progressive elements, such as tempo changes and convoluted time signatures. Vocals are both harsh and clean; the former is almost definitely metalcore, and the latter are reminiscent of Garm's nigh-spoken-word 'singing.' There are also lots of acoustic guitars, spoken narrative (in English and Spanish), and more…

For the most part, "Philosopher" is one part Winds, one part Arcturus, and one part Covenant, with the occasional Mayhem-influenced riff. By sheer coincidence (or is it…?), this list reads like a Hellhammer discography. But comparisons to von Blomberg aside, Requiem Aeternam sound more like Norwegian avant garde extreme metal than anything I would associate with South America. And while one can count the number of Hellhammer-caliber percussionists on one hand, Requiem Aeternam's Alex Hernández (of Immolation fame) is certainly a fantastic drummer in his own right.

This is also a concept album of sorts; according to the band's press material, "each lyric is based on the work of a philosopher, including Seneca, Rousseau, Heraclitus, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Lao Tzu, Gautama, and there is also one based on vocalist and guitarist José Romero's book Forbidden Writings."

Now that is pretty damn awesome, if you ask me.

As exceptional a guitarist and philosopher as Romero is, he is slightly lacking in the vocal department. His harsh vocals are a little too 'core for my tastes (and this is coming from someone who likes many metalcore bands). And his clean vocals can be a little weak, almost off-pitch at times. But this is pretty much my only complaint about "Philosopher." And these are nothing that a few more years of vocal development can't improve upon.

"Philosopher" is overflowing with moments of beauty and jaw-dropping brutality. There is lots of high-speed blasting throughout the album, and yet even more examples of multifaceted guitar harmonies. Distorted crunch often gives way to clean or acoustic guitar without notice, only to jump into fuzzy black metal guitar soundscapes. The non-vibrato a capella layering of vocals bringing the song "Liberty" to a close is unlike anything I have ever heard in music, metal or otherwise. The Spanish monologue in "Desperation" makes me which I were better versed in that language.

Another press kit quote: "Requiem Aeternam describes its music as "Dialectical Music," defined by its contrasts, oppositions, and inequalities." I would say that this is a pretty apt description. Complex extreme metal with both melody and aggression, thought-provoking lyrics, and a lineage that should make most metalheads look twice… Requiem Aeternam's "Philosopher" is a fantastic album, one I wish I had heard in time to include it on my top ten metal albums of 2004. Fans of extreme music or philosophical discussions in general should be sure to check this album out.