Always and Forever by Requiem for the Dead by OCMusicMagazine
Requiem for the Dead - Onset
Seeing bands break out from their respective local region is no easy task, especially around the 831 area code. The rare occasions in which a band from around your area actually makes their name known outside of a local music bubble always brings a sense of accomplishment not just from a band, but the area in which they reside. These are the exact feelings that went through my mind when I reviewed Santa Cruz rock band, Requiem For The Dead’s studio EP, Always and Forever.
The album begins with the mysterious introduction track “Sad Boy Meets Sad Girl.” The ominous mood associated with this track derives from the prevalence of single, reverberated piano notes over the continued phrase “always and forever,” repeated in succession by both a male and female speaker. The crescendo picks up in a drastic fashion with the accompaniment of the full band, progressing towards droning guitar chords, vocalizations, and synthesizers. The combination of this wall of sound instills that Angels and Airways pleasantry, which misleads listeners away from the dark implications associated with the name of the band.
The second song of the album, “Those Lovely Shark People,” adds punk energy with the driving guitar rhythms, delay driven leads, and fast paced drum grooves. The verses change that initial rock feel, skimming away the distortion and favoring single note guitar leads, coated with effects similar to bands like Balance and Composure and AFI. What establishes this song as memorable falls within the chorus. Lyrics like, “So Mother can you hear me?/ This loaded gun can’t kill me/ And as the bullet rushes in/ requiem for the dead” may sound spiteful, but combine the epicness of the accompanying instruments, and the song sounds more inspirational.
Songs like “The Misadventure of Coffin Kid” and “I’m No Angel” adopt an industrial rock sound and fuse it together with post-hardcore intensity. The use of electronic drum loops, synthesizer leads, and hair-raising screams combine into a song that one would be able to dance to or start a mosh pit to. Riddled within these songs are subtle hints of gothic rock influence, including the use of organs and dominant minor scales.
Requiem for the Dead
The track, “Interlude: Her Pocket Full of Posies” could send shivers down anyone’s spine; a lone girl’s voice recites the famous, yet disturbing rhyme over piano and electronics. By the end of the track, I felt the need to look over my shoulder to check if the girl from The Exorcist was lingering.
A heavy rock album feels incomplete without the inclusion of slower paced songs. Requiem For The Dead fulfills this with the album’s title track, “Always and Forever.” The overall mood of this track feels similar to a ballad, meshed with the band’s ability to induce an overall mysterious aura.
My overall impression of Always and Forever encompasses this album as rays of light that pierce through the thick veil of dark overtones. The album’s memorable aspect falls on Requiem For The Dead’s ability to write catchy songs and build momentum, while injecting their unique blend of industrial and screamo.
They’ll be playing at Chain Reaction in January.
Download Always and Forever for free on the band’s personal web page.
