The Hourglass - Requiem
CD Info
2012
Self-released
5 Tracks
English and Latin Lyrics
When you think of metal from Romania, you think of Magica, right? Well, that's where I automatically go, anyway, but there is a new group from those parts staking its flag on the scene in that country. They are called The Hourglass, and they are a female fronted symphonic metal band with a few little industrial elements thrown in for good measure. They're fronted by a fiery and friendly redhead named Alma Vomastek, who does the singing, composing, and on their EP, Requiem, performed the keyboards (Ioana Dîrvă now fills that role, according to the band's Facebook page.
Opening things up with the title track, “Requiem”, we hear a classical intro reminiscent of Mozart or someone similar before the bombast of a guitar riff, the bass, drums, and synths come in and stirke you like clapper of a church bell. And then comes the voice of Alma: classical, dramatic, powerful, and dynamic. Dare I make a comparison to that famous metal singer whose name begins with T? Well, it can be made. Alma is, in short, incredible. She is the highlight of this CD, hands down.
But back to the song. It, and track two, “Dies Irae”, are Alma's interpretation of these parts of the Requiem mass, something Alma has always loved. She told me in an email, “I always loved Requiems (Mozart, Britten, Faure), sang a lot of them in the choir and I wanted to use their subject. Religious or not, I think that everyone believes that what we do during our lives, good or bad, has some consequences when the wheel turns and everything comes back at us.” Both songs have very strong symphonic arrangements, and “Dies Irae” even features an organ, which I thought was a nice touch. Both songs, as you might expect, have a hymnal quality to them without being overly sombre or sad, but are definitely great metal anthems.
“The Fall” is a highly personal song for Alma, and it has a dark theme I personally interpret as relating to suicide and/or depression. This song is again very strong, and it's the song on the CD I most hear the industrial elements, in the drums, guitars, and synth sounds. There are also some very pretty vocal harmonies in this track.
Track four, “In Remembrance” is a song about Alma's late grandfather, who was a great influence in her life. It's a lovely tribute that starts off with some gentle synths and throughout has a good, rock-like groove, and again, some very nice backing vocals that provide some nice harmonies.
Finally, track five, “Way Home”, closes things out. As Alma told me, it's about “the journey we all have during our lives, until we finally go back home. We struggle for a meaning, for a purpose, trying to find the place where we belong.” Another great, symphonically strong track, with an almost folky section in the middle that was very jaunty. This is probably the catchiest song on the album, but really there is catchiness aplenty here.
I thought Requiem was quite a gem when I heard it for the first time, and after several spins it's really only gotten better for me. Alma is a potential compositional and vocal powerhouse, people! My only bit of constructive criticism would be that the industrial elements were too much in the background; I'd have liked them to be a tad bit more prominent so that I could hear how the two styles (symphonic being the other style) really mixed together to create something unique. But overall, this EP shows that The Hourglass has great bones and a lot of great potential, and with Alma at the helm, I think they can really go places.
8.5 / 10
