Source: Album Artwork
Standing up as the faces of Swedish, industrial metal, Rave The Reqviem have released their phenomenal new album The Gospel Of Nil, courtesy of Digital World Audio and it’s definitely something to talk about.
A dark and brooding record, The Gospel Of Nil means the songs of nothingness. Filip Lönnqvist explains: “The title is a metaphor for the artist’s endless and hopeless battle against himself. Art becomes a weapon which you point at the world with the hope of having your revenge by being successful. But a battle won in the name of vengeance is no real victory. It is only proof that you have already lost in the beginning. So no matter how hard you try, you will always be beneath society. No matter what you do, you are still nothing. That’s why your gospel could never be anything else than nothing.”
‘Prelvdivm’ opens this album up with a mesmerizing introduction to the band’s orchestral and cinematic talents. The haunting melody that presents itself softly throughout this track, leads you into a false sense of what this record is going to be because as soon as you just start to get comfortable, almost relaxed, ‘Azalea’ comes crashing through your headphones and gets all up in your face with industrial electronics, a popular melody and heavy metal drumming.
It’s at this point, our interest peaked and we was eager to see what other surprises these tricksters had up their sleeves and true to their style, we weren’t disappointed. ‘Eschaton’ stood out at the fifth track mark as being the most remarkable. By far the heaviest and without a doubt the most memorable as you can’t help but find yourself singing along to the melodic chorus, beautifully delivered by vocalist, Carola Rönnqvist or banging your head to the intensity of the rest.
This 11-track marvel, throws out an eclectic mix of what the band are capable and where at times it might seem like there’s no method to this madness, the chaos works perfectly to create this truly unique record. Rave The Reqviem are intoxicating and very much at the top of their game.
The success from their debut, self-titled album, thrust the band into headline tours in eastern Europe, Russia the UK and of course their homeland, Sweden. Now with the equal success of this album, they are said to be continuing to tour in late 2016/ early 2017 with dates to be announced.
Definite contenders to watch out for and if you haven’t already, this album needs to be in your collection, even if it’s in the guilty pleasure section, just get it. You can thank me later.
