• Compact Disc

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  Named after Jake Black, aka The Very Reverend D Wayne Love of Alabama 3; the album is a collection of mainly classical pieces, initially inspired by some melodic elements from one of the last songs Jake wrote the lyrics for - "Tranquillize", on the Alabama 3 album: "Step 13".
  
  
  The theme of "Black Requiem" represents Jake's journey through the underworld to the paradise of Elysium, but there are also parallels from the perspective of those he left behind.
  
  He was (as am I) a staunch non-believer in such things, but I think it would have amused him that I chose to portray the narrative of the album in terms of Greek mythology - over the years, he and I had numerous discussions on the subject.
  
  One such discussion centred around Albert Camus, particularly his works "La Peste" and "The Myth Of Sisyphus". The former (which, unsurprisingly, has become a bestseller during the Coronavirus pandemic), details the struggles and tragedies of the citizens of Oran in Algeria as the city suffers a prolonged outbreak of Bubonic plague.
  As I recall, Jake saw it as symbolising the valiant fight against oppression, in whatever form it might take.
  
  Sisyphus was condemned by the gods for cheating death. Death being personified by Thanatos, who Sisyphus managed to trick into his own chains. Thanatos is the guider of souls to the underworld, and is usually associated with a peaceful transition thereof.
  
  In track 1, the instrumentation is meant to evoke the feeling of a conversation. Perhaps it is between Jake and Thanatos, or Jake and Charon, the ferryman of the Styx, or maybe it is Jake questioning himself about the strange new (under) world he finds himself in.
  
  Hermes (track 2) is generally regarded as the herald of the gods.
  The track has a recurring theme, which becomes more forceful each time we hear it, just as shocking news first leaves us wondering if we heard it correctly, then grows in intensity each time we try to come to terms with it. It is through Hermes that Jake's arrival in Hades is made known to the gods, and he acts as a secondary guide through the underworld.
  
  However, he is also known as the divine trickster, and Jake finds himself on the banks of the Acheron (track 3) - the river of woe and, according to Dante, the border of hell. Everywhere is shrouded in the mists of Erebus (track 4), the god of darkness, and it is here especially that a parallel exists between Jake's predicament and those he left behind.
  
  But "the long dark night of the soul" (as Jake once preached) must eventually end, and Hemera (track 5), daughter of Erebus and goddess of the day, enters the underworld to illuminate the way to Elysium.
  
  Hermes, easily able to move between the realms of the gods and mortals, allows Jake a glimpse of Glencoe (track 6), where his friends are scattering his ashes, just as he once scattered the ashes of one of his oldest and dearest friends, Maggie.
  
  The finale (track 7) is a celebration from Jake's and our perspective - at 88bpm, it has the characteristic tempo of a particularly well-known song by a certain country acid house combo.
  Hermes announces that Jake is now on his way to Elysium, and the closing of the third movement falls to Jake – "And the beat went on, and it was good, and Elvis said dance."
  
  Includes unlimited streaming of Black Requiem via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. ... more
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• Digital Album

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