HellBoulevard-Requiem

With "Requiem" HellBoulevard knows how to celebrate the dark dark rock that the band is used to like in no other album, but also takes a path that many may not have expected. The use of an orchestra together with choir, strings and piano can be found in some songs in the album, but this in no way misses the dark rock. On the contrary, because the band knows how to bring the songs together in their own way and maintain a high level of sound with hard drums, matching guitars and acoustic bass. Pieces like "The Monster," Messed Up" or "Branded" make every dark rock heart beat faster and pop skillful metaphorical rock sounds around the listener's ears.

The unmistakable voice of Matteo -vDiva- Fabbiani, the band's frontman, skillfully refines every song, but could be more in the foreground and not just the drums and rock guitars. As I said, in Requiem the band uses orchestral acoustics, which are presented to the listener in the various songs (10 in number) included on the album. But not in an intrusive way, but always in skillful passages, the orchestra and choir are used, for example in the song "Guillotine" or "Weirdos", in order to acoustically address the piece and the title and to highlight them excellently.
Last but not least, the tender, dark souls among you will delight in the song "Don't Fix A Broken Heart", which is probably due not least to Matteo's voice. The piece begins with piano and builds up to a full orchestra as the track progresses, but always remains stylish. What really excites me is the incredibly gentle, yet tender and rough voice of singer Matteo, who sings this song in a very emotional way. HellBoulavard also has a tender side that can be heard.

Conclusion: .....

With Requiem, HellBoulevard delivers a solid album that is fun to try, but there is still room for improvement. The bravely implemented mixture of rock, orchestra and classical elements brings the boys a lot forward and writes another milestone in the band's history. However, I would like a slightly better mix of voice and music as well as more courageous lyrics for the next album. Anyone who buys the album now will not be disappointed, even if the songs vary in quality. Hellboulevard once again delivers what the dark rocker soul wants!