Coming out of the musical hotbed which is Manchester, Requiem have a lot to live upto after such a high standard of releases from the north western city in the past year. But, and this is a big but, Requiem aren’t even close to cutting it as anything resembling new and exciting. Which means listening to the five efforts featured becomes increasingly difficult with each return. Citing influences as diverse as Jimmy Eat World, Motley Crue and The Killers, it is difficult to see where each piece of inspiration has inserted itself into the Requiem jigsaw. Opener ‘Song 6’ is a convoluted mix of fuzzy guitars and warbled effect laden singing while ‘War’ barely fairs better with a gentler and more serene approach lifting expectations ever so slightly for the final couple of efforts.
With interest waning, something special is needed to re-ignite the progress of the CD, but ‘Sarah’ certainly isn’t it. This is the first real listen to the rawness of the vocals from James Key which do little to inject any energy or passion into the songs which are lacking to begin with. ‘Hey Jack’ proves the finest track, but despite the edgier nature, it isn’t enough and proves a dim shining light in a long dark corridor for the band. Plainly put, Requiem are boring. With little charisma and no spark, they will find it increasingly difficult to claw there way out of Manchester scene buzzing with excitement at the moment, and with something desperately needed to give the band that edge, it may prove a long old haul.
Jay