Review by Jack on August 28, 2002.

For all the time I have had “Requiem of the Apocalypse” in my possession I have found it almost impossible to devote enough quality time to fully appreciate the craftsmanship of Runemagick. “Requiem of the Apocalypse” is one of those records that really demands and consumes time trying to get your head around it. Usually speaking the records that take eons to review are those that you feel indifferent towards; but it is not really the case here as “Requiem of the Apocalypse” is certainly a quality disc, which has had a fair amount of work, put into it and the results are rather apparent when listening.

Winding dark death melodies and consistent doom tempos, much more credible than a lot of their death contemporaries is the sort of style that Runemagick go about. The beauty of Runemagick, however, is not so much their dark death metal, but the way they have gone about structuring “Requiem of the Apocalypse” (whether intentional or non-intentional). “Requiem of the Apocalypse” is compiled in such a way that it keeps building with each subsequent track; peaking at the start of the 8-minute scorcher; ‘Memorandum Melancholia’ and just being a very competent ride for the rest of the 20 minutes or so remaining on “Requiem of the Apocalypse”.

There is nothing really lacking too much on “Requiem of the Apocalypse” aside from a bit more variation needed from vocalist Nicklas, not that I am suggesting he does some clean vocals, he just needs to spruce up the grunts a little. I do feel that the production is a little on the thin side, which creates a reverberating sound that doesn’t sit very well for the tone of the album.

Bottom Line: This is a solid record. Much more interesting the meager death morsels that carbon copy death bands serve up, “Requiem of the Apocalypse” is an album that death fanatics will crave and the rest of us shall be pleasantly impressed with. Pretty cool.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 5
Originality: 8
Overall: 8

Rating: 7.2 out of 10