Heavy Metal would be a very different genre without Thomas Gabriel Fischer (Warrior). The Swiss musician is, in my opinion, the most important person in the creation and development of extreme metal. Without his work in the pioneering extreme metal band Hellhammer, we would probably have no Death Metal or Black Metal scene at all. Hellhammer and early Celtic Frost wrote the template for proto Death and Black Metal, it was Fischer’s need to experiment and to push things further that have made him such an important innovator. It hasn’t all been good, the need for constant development has caused Tom G to make the odd mistake; releasing a Glam Rock album under the Celtic Frost moniker probably cost the band quite a few fans. It wasn’t a terrible album, but it was definitely a mistake releasing it as a Celtic Frost album. Fischer has also dabbled with dance music and rap in a few demos that have surfaced since the turn of the century (you can find some on You Tube). Despite a few mistakes, the constant need to innovate, has gained Tom G a very important place in Heavy Metal history, and a huge place in most metalheads hearts.
Now one of Tom's most important pieces of innovation has come to fruition a mere 34 years after its conception.
In 1986 Tom started work on a Tryptic, a three part piece of work that would meld a Heavy Metal band with a classical orchestra, that was to called Requiem. Warrior wrote the opening piece Rex Irae and the band went into Horus Studios in Hanover to record the song with an orchestra. The track was included on Celtic Frost’s album Into The Pandemonium, and the original plan was to record the remaining two tracks, and to release the three part piece of music as an EP. However, as with all great innovators Tom G was way ahead of his time, and the record company decided that mixing Heavy Metal and classical music would not sell, and did not like the ‘Avant-garde’ nature of Into The Pandemonium. This typical short-sightedness from record company executives caused huge tension amongst the band, and the lineup that had recorded Into The Pandemonium broke up.
Fast forward to 2001. Celtic Frost reformed and Tomas Gabriel Fischer was once again in Celtic Frost with long term collaborator Martin Eric Ain. The band started working on new material, and a plan was formed to write and record the remaining parts of Requiem. The final part of Requiem, Winter (Requiem, Chapter 3: Finale) was the final track on Celtic Frost’s last (and in my opinion best) album Monotheist. In 2008 this Celtic Frost lineup collapsed, Tom G immediately formed Triptykon, and Requiem was once again shelved.
So two of the tracks; the opening Rex Irae and closing piece Winter, have appeared before, but the central 32 minute song Grave Eternal (Requiem, Chapter Two: Transition) has never before been heard.
Fast forward again to 2018, Triptykon are approached by Walter Hoeijmakers, founder of Roadburn Festival, with the offer to help the band complete Fischer’s project, and an offer of his Roadburn festival as an appropriate venue for the performance. Hoeijmakers suggested using The Metropole Orhest Ensemble, and the writing, arranging and planning of the Roadburn performance began. The band and ensemble, who were conducted by Jukka Isakkila, and were also joined by co-vocalist Safa Heraghi had rehearsed the 46 minute set on the 10th and 11th of April. Requiem was performed in front of a live audience for the first time on the 12th of April 2019, to say the reaction was rapturous would be one of the biggest understatements in history.
Rex Irae (Requiem, Chapter One: Overture) feels familiar as I know it from Into The Pandemonium, but it’s bigger and more expansive in the form it takes on this album. Safa Heraghi’s vocals are stunning, and the perfect counterpart for Warriors harsher vocals. The riffs feel powerful and driving, the ensemble are used in a way that backs up the band rather than dominating. The very distinctive Viola riff that was in the original song helps to connect this version with the original. The track features a fantastic discordant solo, that slowly segues into a melody lead. The classical elements build as the track comes close to its end, kettle drums and more strings are added as we get closer to the finale.
Grave Eternal (Requiem, Chapter Two: Transition) is the part of Requiem that has been missing all these years. The preceding track goes straight into Grave Eternal, which opens with big, slow doomy riffs. The Ensemble is much more in the forefront for this track. The big doomy riffs are backed up by lush strings and very powerful brass instruments (this feels like a reference to Dawn Of Meggido from To Mega Therion), some of the brass work on this part is a little reminiscent of some of Ihsahn's solo material. We then get an amazing guitar solo that reminds me a little of some of Dave Gilmour's lead work with Pink Floyd, but with a bigger and thicker guitar sound. After the solo, there is a section with band, ensemble and Safa’s amazing vocals. The band and strings merge together, this feels closer to classical music than Heavy Metal, as this section builds it takes on a huge, lush, multi-layered feeling that has huge depth and is achingly beautiful. This part then slowly fades to silence, with discordant strings and brass. There is a short break, this feels like the end of the first act.
The silence is broken by tubular bells and a lone violin. For the first time a choir is heard. This section is dramatic, discordant and in a strange way cinematic. The tubular bells and violin leave and we are left with only drums, Fischer’s voice comes in chanting “Wave after Wave” again and again. He is joined by Safa, and the vocals become more complex, the two voices work so well together. A simple, clean guitar riff comes in and this starts to feel a little like a piece of Post Rock. The way this builds up is stunning, this is songwriting at its best. The vocals end, the Heavy Metal band and ensemble are now one. Again, the track subsides and we are left with only kettle drums. A bass riff is added. We are transported back to 1985 as the brass seems to channel Dawn Of Meggido. Strings come in, tempering the brass. More string are added, and the brass slowly leaves until only the strings remain and this feels like chamber music. Again: Silence. A Break.
The silence is broken by a bass riff, drums come in to back it up. Brass arrives along with tubular bells, there is a feeling of everything being tightly controlled and measured. A very minimal clean guitar comes in, this feels gothic. Tom is back with the Wave After Wave chant, again this part feels more minimal than it did before, there is a brooding quality to how this feels, like the calm before the storm, something is about to be unleashed. A huge guitar riff comes crashing in, this part feels huge, a mournful melody lead goes over the huge riff. The feeling is deeply melancholic, this is emphasised by Safa’s vocals wailing over the misery. Those bells are back, and this is building to something huge. Over this huge and deeply sorrowful background comes a very emotive solo, which then drifts into a beautiful vocal part, backed up by the choir. The track breaks down into just strings and vocals with a some small brass elements. This has far more of a classical sense to it, the individual parts slowly fade until we are left with only brass and guitar for a dramatic ending. Silence, massive applause.
Winter (Requiem, Chapter Three: Finale) opens with strings, very slow swells, very mellow, building. Operatic vocals are added, this is beautiful and affecting. There is a cinematic feel to this, it slowly builds, instruments are added. This track has no percussion, it is lilting and dreamlike, a hypnotic ethereal work of art. These vocal parts build and layer, becoming something huge but delicate, this feeling builds, diminishes, builds, diminishes, and then slowly fades away. Silence, Huge Applause.
Now one of Tom's most important pieces of innovation has come to fruition a mere 34 years after its conception.
In 1986 Tom started work on a Tryptic, a three part piece of work that would meld a Heavy Metal band with a classical orchestra, that was to called Requiem. Warrior wrote the opening piece Rex Irae and the band went into Horus Studios in Hanover to record the song with an orchestra. The track was included on Celtic Frost’s album Into The Pandemonium, and the original plan was to record the remaining two tracks, and to release the three part piece of music as an EP. However, as with all great innovators Tom G was way ahead of his time, and the record company decided that mixing Heavy Metal and classical music would not sell, and did not like the ‘Avant-garde’ nature of Into The Pandemonium. This typical short-sightedness from record company executives caused huge tension amongst the band, and the lineup that had recorded Into The Pandemonium broke up.
Fast forward to 2001. Celtic Frost reformed and Tomas Gabriel Fischer was once again in Celtic Frost with long term collaborator Martin Eric Ain. The band started working on new material, and a plan was formed to write and record the remaining parts of Requiem. The final part of Requiem, Winter (Requiem, Chapter 3: Finale) was the final track on Celtic Frost’s last (and in my opinion best) album Monotheist. In 2008 this Celtic Frost lineup collapsed, Tom G immediately formed Triptykon, and Requiem was once again shelved.
So two of the tracks; the opening Rex Irae and closing piece Winter, have appeared before, but the central 32 minute song Grave Eternal (Requiem, Chapter Two: Transition) has never before been heard.
Fast forward again to 2018, Triptykon are approached by Walter Hoeijmakers, founder of Roadburn Festival, with the offer to help the band complete Fischer’s project, and an offer of his Roadburn festival as an appropriate venue for the performance. Hoeijmakers suggested using The Metropole Orhest Ensemble, and the writing, arranging and planning of the Roadburn performance began. The band and ensemble, who were conducted by Jukka Isakkila, and were also joined by co-vocalist Safa Heraghi had rehearsed the 46 minute set on the 10th and 11th of April. Requiem was performed in front of a live audience for the first time on the 12th of April 2019, to say the reaction was rapturous would be one of the biggest understatements in history.
Rex Irae (Requiem, Chapter One: Overture) feels familiar as I know it from Into The Pandemonium, but it’s bigger and more expansive in the form it takes on this album. Safa Heraghi’s vocals are stunning, and the perfect counterpart for Warriors harsher vocals. The riffs feel powerful and driving, the ensemble are used in a way that backs up the band rather than dominating. The very distinctive Viola riff that was in the original song helps to connect this version with the original. The track features a fantastic discordant solo, that slowly segues into a melody lead. The classical elements build as the track comes close to its end, kettle drums and more strings are added as we get closer to the finale.
Grave Eternal (Requiem, Chapter Two: Transition) is the part of Requiem that has been missing all these years. The preceding track goes straight into Grave Eternal, which opens with big, slow doomy riffs. The Ensemble is much more in the forefront for this track. The big doomy riffs are backed up by lush strings and very powerful brass instruments (this feels like a reference to Dawn Of Meggido from To Mega Therion), some of the brass work on this part is a little reminiscent of some of Ihsahn's solo material. We then get an amazing guitar solo that reminds me a little of some of Dave Gilmour's lead work with Pink Floyd, but with a bigger and thicker guitar sound. After the solo, there is a section with band, ensemble and Safa’s amazing vocals. The band and strings merge together, this feels closer to classical music than Heavy Metal, as this section builds it takes on a huge, lush, multi-layered feeling that has huge depth and is achingly beautiful. This part then slowly fades to silence, with discordant strings and brass. There is a short break, this feels like the end of the first act.
The silence is broken by tubular bells and a lone violin. For the first time a choir is heard. This section is dramatic, discordant and in a strange way cinematic. The tubular bells and violin leave and we are left with only drums, Fischer’s voice comes in chanting “Wave after Wave” again and again. He is joined by Safa, and the vocals become more complex, the two voices work so well together. A simple, clean guitar riff comes in and this starts to feel a little like a piece of Post Rock. The way this builds up is stunning, this is songwriting at its best. The vocals end, the Heavy Metal band and ensemble are now one. Again, the track subsides and we are left with only kettle drums. A bass riff is added. We are transported back to 1985 as the brass seems to channel Dawn Of Meggido. Strings come in, tempering the brass. More string are added, and the brass slowly leaves until only the strings remain and this feels like chamber music. Again: Silence. A Break.
The silence is broken by a bass riff, drums come in to back it up. Brass arrives along with tubular bells, there is a feeling of everything being tightly controlled and measured. A very minimal clean guitar comes in, this feels gothic. Tom is back with the Wave After Wave chant, again this part feels more minimal than it did before, there is a brooding quality to how this feels, like the calm before the storm, something is about to be unleashed. A huge guitar riff comes crashing in, this part feels huge, a mournful melody lead goes over the huge riff. The feeling is deeply melancholic, this is emphasised by Safa’s vocals wailing over the misery. Those bells are back, and this is building to something huge. Over this huge and deeply sorrowful background comes a very emotive solo, which then drifts into a beautiful vocal part, backed up by the choir. The track breaks down into just strings and vocals with a some small brass elements. This has far more of a classical sense to it, the individual parts slowly fade until we are left with only brass and guitar for a dramatic ending. Silence, massive applause.
Winter (Requiem, Chapter Three: Finale) opens with strings, very slow swells, very mellow, building. Operatic vocals are added, this is beautiful and affecting. There is a cinematic feel to this, it slowly builds, instruments are added. This track has no percussion, it is lilting and dreamlike, a hypnotic ethereal work of art. These vocal parts build and layer, becoming something huge but delicate, this feeling builds, diminishes, builds, diminishes, and then slowly fades away. Silence, Huge Applause.
I wish I could have been at Roadburn festival in 2019. This is clearly an amazing performance of a simply stunning work of art. Requiem is a breathtakingly beautiful composition, it’s taken 34 years, but it was worth every single second of Tom G Warriors time to produce this. Thomas Gabriel Fischer’s career has been as groundbreaking as it’s possible to be in music. This feels to me like the pinnacle of that career, a staggering piece of work that could only have been created by a genius. Don’t get me wrong, it wouldn’t surprise me if he manages to create something even more incredible than this, in his future career, he has always been able to surprise us. However, if Tom decided to hang up his guitar, this would be an amazing piece to end with.
In the whole time I have been writing reviews I have never given out a 10 out of 10 for an album (I gave Warnings final UK performance at Desertfest a 10, but never an album). Well, that is about to change, this gets a ten, if I could give it an eleven I would. This is my album of the year, nothing else is going to come close. 10/10
In the whole time I have been writing reviews I have never given out a 10 out of 10 for an album (I gave Warnings final UK performance at Desertfest a 10, but never an album). Well, that is about to change, this gets a ten, if I could give it an eleven I would. This is my album of the year, nothing else is going to come close. 10/10
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