18/12/2024
Another German translation into English of a Requiem Of Mankind review.
"The fourth part of a trilogy, Brits understand such paradoxes, and like Douglas Adams, the trio Sendelica also spends a large part of their playing time in space on „Requiem For Mankind“. But not completely, this double vinyl with four extra-long instrumental tracks changes direction many a time, albeit leisurely in keeping with the genre: ambient, gniedel-prog, space dub, neo-classical, Doom metal, film score – and there is a lot of reverb above everything. If you deal with the topics that concern the Welsh, even without singing about them, humanity doesn't give a particularly good picture. This soundtrack for the end of the world is even better.
Even though Sendelica structurally distribute four individual tracks on four LP sides, the tracks could also be given separate indices; most have an unexpected break in the middle, which can also be guessed at from the bullet point in the title. Of the 23 minutes of the first track „Cosmic Slop (In The Beginning) – Let There Be Light“, the first half consists of ambient with a bit of saxophone that abruptly turns into a slow, gniedel Space Prog performed by the entire band transitions. Progressive here doesn't mean nested, but epic: the guitar hums with a lot of reverb, it sounds as if some gigantic animals, such as dinosaurs or whales, were shouting in the distance. The bass sounds like metal, the drums swirl excitedly.
„Let There Be Life – Requiem For The Planet“ begins with a kind of seventy power plant monotony and soon becomes a trippy, danceable space dub, hand-played like Automat, only in addition with psychedelic guitar sounds above After the break, the track becomes a piano ambient ballad with lyricless female vocals. The piece gradually becomes slightly disturbing with its soundscapes, despite its melodic elements it seems as if it has such abstract harmonies as the quieter pieces from Future Sound Of London. The piano gives way to the acoustic guitar, and again the Uncle Mayor gets his desired Hallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll.
The only piece without breakage emerges smoothly from its predecessor, but then develops completely differently: „The Downfall“ starts with strings and organs and then becomes gothic doom metal. Yes. Indeed. Heavy, powerful, riffy, h***y. A repetitively delayed looped substructure carries a solo weighing several tons, and Black Sabbath nod appreciatively. As soon as a saxophone suddenly takes over the solo, you think of Mope from Genoa, who still owes the world a second album. a propos Liguria: Davide Pansolin from Savona released some of the countless Sendelica albums on his Vincebus Eruptum label. That's just by the way, here a guitar fiddling takes over the solo rowing again and all the music becomes a frenzy. A spooky choir soon lies over it, which initiates the return to the doom – again with saxophone –, which, as at the beginning of the piece, gives way to the organ.
That leaves „Chaos – Requiem For Mankind“: At the start, an electro space prepares the way for the band, which simply keeps the space until a Mark Knopfler guitar with reverb takes over. As soon as the drums kick out an energetic head-nodding beat, the guitar becomes bratty. Until the break: Ambient generated with piano and strings becomes a kind of film score that builds into a dramatic, powerful drone. The end of humanity, and it's not even a bad thing. Because there is hope: As with the title track of the album „Outside The Gate“ by Killing Joke, the sinking is followed by a fragile new awakening, here with an acoustic guitar, which sounds like a harp. Hopefully everything goes well this time.
A well-rounded affair, this fourth part of the trilogy. It started in 2021 with „And Man Created God“, continued in 2022 with „One Man's Man ...“ and was supposed to conclude in 2023 with „Man, Myth & Magic“. But Pete Bingham (guitars and synths), Colin Consterdine (Beats and Synths) and Glenda Pescado (Bass) realized in their restless sleep that they hadn't yet told the end of the story, and created „Requiem For Mankind“. That there are also limited versions with bonus tracks that consist of outtakes and remixes; Apparently they still had a lot to share in silence. Guests involved here were the Finnish thrash doom psychedelic Santtu Laakso as keyboardist in the „Chaos“ section and the unnamed singer Calli in „Requiem For The Planet“.
Anyone who is now amazed that the trio completed this opulent quadilogy with one album per year should be informed that Sendelica has released more albums since 2005 than human spirit can grasp. Have fun collecting!"
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