The first time I heard about All Men Unto Me was due to a drunken, yet enthusiastic, tweet. After another devastatingly excellent Ashenspire show I had mentioned the vocal and lyrical impact of Rylan Gleave only to be corrected that the lyrics were by drummer, album vocalist and all round hero, Alasdair Dunn. Although slightly embarrassed I quickly got over it when In Chemical Transit emerged as this time the full work of award winning and multi talented Rylan Gleave was unveiled. The 2023 album was an eye opening exploration of a voice undergoing transition from mezzo-soprano to bass-baritone and was fascinating and stunning, if somewhat removed from the vocal delivery of Ashenspire. However, from the opening of lead single ‘Sequentia’ I could feel Requiem was here to bridge those two sides and this is avant-garde doom at its very finest, with a vocal display that mesmerises, soars and ravages.
The classical touches still remain through some of the vocal performance and are prominent from album opening ‘Introit’, but notable is the change in musical accompaniment. As you may expect from something just labelled as avant-garde consistency is greatly fluid but thematically solid. From soft drones and blasts of lunacy inducing vocals in ‘Kyrie Eleison’ to the dreamlike realisation of the thespian ballad of ‘Pie Jesu’ to the heavy doom dark ‘Sanctus’, Requiem is a far different beast from its predecessor. In Chemical Transit as a historical document was wondrous and important, Requiem is heavy and devastating yet also expansive.
The variations in vocal delivery is one Julie Christmas would be proud of as they switch from menacing, ferocious and grandiose are always impactful. In lyrical themes Gleave covers ideas above my educational comprehension but I never feel alienated, the delivery and expression can bind even those without knowledge of themes. There is no doubt of the authenticity of the screams in ‘Agnus Dei’ or the melancholia of ‘In Paradisum’ and that is what catches me. Obviously the heavy nature of much of the musical performance sits nicely with my tastes. Scott McLean (Healthyliving, Ashenspire, Maud The Moth) and Alasdair Dunn (Ashenspire) are two very talented friends to call upon and their contributions are exceptionally complementary along with the organ work of Amaya López-Carromero (Healthyliving, Ashenspire, Maud The Moth) and the insane cello work of Simone Seales.
Requiem might not be one to stick on at a dinner party but if you do please make sure you have invited me because that sounds like an event not to miss. This isn’t an album that finds a groove and settles in it, it is abrasive, awkward, beautiful and harsh. The contradictions and juxtapositions carry the listener through a unique experience, a special view point accompanied by some very talented performers. Requiem is proof of the richness achieved through embracing diversity, the evidence in supporting marginalised communities and the ultimate victor in the battle against rising transphobia. If you feel powerless then this is a great place to share a burden. I haven’t heard anything quite like it before.
