"DESTINY-MAN" REVIEWS:


Jose Romero Sum doesn't stop, neither in the search of his musical horizon nor in that of surprising: "Destiny-Man" is a Death-Black-Prog, mathematical and philosophical. Unparallel; with creations and executions within a complex ambient in view of the deed's concept, particularly because every track has reminiscences of masters such as Beethoven, Mozart, Piazzolla, Debussy, Gershwin or Rachmaninoff. All these celebrations would be insufficient for this jewel which look after look becomes more amazing. Extraordinary!!!

EL CORTE ON LINE (ARGENTINA)



The return of one of the most singular Uruguayan metal bands with a magnificent third album named "Destiny-Man".

EL LADO OSCURO (URUGUAY)



The first thing that catches attention about this new album is its cover art: stunning and professional; if not the better, it is one of the best covers of the history of Uruguayan metal.
Undoubtedly we are before the most ambitious album of Requiem Aeternam's history, where it is perceived an intense search for a style on its own, and in some sense they have attained this, given that we could say that there are influences of black, death, progressive metal, although at the same time it is very difficult to compare them with other bands and include them in one specific category. The ten tracks, which altogether last exactly 50 minutes, are replete of complex structures, many of which are irreproducible live... there is no place for catchy choruses as it could be found in their former opuses, such as "Eternally Dying" and "Wisdom".
...we are before a work very experimental of excellent production and unique sound, although it takes several listens to get well its taste, for what it is not the album for those who like easy-listening songs.

RISE! (URUGUAY)



Melodic black metallers Requiem Aeternam, originally from Uruguay but most recently based in Tampa Bay, Florida, have completed work on their third album, Destiny-Man. This is their most ambitious work to date and feature ten tracks totalling 50 minutes of anguish. The ten tracks on Destiny-Man are inspired not based on ten classical composers. This is their uppermost attempt to consolidate a new style within metal music: philosophical metal.

CENTURY MEDIA (USA)



I want to do justice to this very interesting band. Right off the bat you are struck by Requiem Aeternam's brutal death metal sound.
In Requiem Aeternam brutal death metal meets progressive metal head on. Listen to this album and notice just how complex and unpredictable the music is. It is a combination of chaos and musical fractals. Close your eyes and you can see them swirling about. But even this is only one dimension of the band. There is much acoustic guitar work interwoven into this recording to bring a different sound and feel -very Hispanic- and to bring the listener through the vortex of words, thoughts, and feelings. Requiem Aeternam are very astute at time changes, tempo changes, and evocation of emotion. Fans of bands like Believer and Atheist will also appreciate this band's grasp of the complex. And by now you know that at one time both Martin Mendez and Martin Lopez played in this band before going over to Opeth.
I had the opportunity to talk with Jose Romero Sum on the phone back when the excellent (and highly recommended) Philosopher album came out. Not only was I impressed with his lyrics -based on the writings of such thinkers as Rousseau, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, and Lao Tzu- but also by his complex musical compositions. On the phone he was a very agreeable person to talk with -and you can tell when a person is a thinker-. I mention this to say that, while my promo of this album only includes four songs from the full-length: "Purposiveness", "Freewill", "Requiem Aeternam", and "Epitaph", I can definitely discern growth and his continued commitment to letting his music embody what's going on in his mind.
You should not be skeptical about this band. Requiem Aeternam are a thinking man's metal band. Emphasis on "thinking": music and lyrics provoke the listener to higher thoughts and emotions. Emphasis on "man's": this music will batter your brains and then soothe your soul. I can't wait to hear the full release.

CRITICAL TOM (USA)



This is definitely a record that requires several listens... It's not the easiest thing to listen to out there.
If you like technical, progressive extreme metal, give this a whirl.

DON'T COUNT ON IT (USA)



From the fair land of Uruguay comes the melodic black metal band Requiem Aeternam. With three studio albums under their belt they are probably the voice of the Uruguayan underground music movement.

FACEBOOK'S MUSIC RECOMMENDATION (USA)



Originally formed in 1995 in Uruguay, Requiem Aeternam have gained a reputation for putting together unconventional arrangements. Jose Romero Sum, the sole songwriter and only remaining original member, doesn't deviate from his formula on Destiny-Man and, in fact, delivers ten ambitious tracks that surpass the complexity of Requiem Aeternam's previous work. Experimentation and expanding boundaries is the name of the game here...

HARVEST MOON MUSIC (USA)



The Melodic Black Metal band from Uruguay started in 1995 and had mixed success with their material.
Destiny-Man was written only with 2 members (Romero & Redondo), which I found was a little hard to believe with all the different sounds going on.

STEREO KILLER (USA)


<< back