Motus Tenebrae – In Sorrow’s Requiem
Release Date: 8th May 2026
Label: My Kingdom Music
Bandcamp
Genre: Gothic Doom
FFO: Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Sentenced, Katatonia.
Review By: Paul Cairney
Ten years on from their 5th album, Italian gothic doomsters Motus Tenebrae have returned with In Sorrow’s Requiem. After 25 years, the trio have delivered an album that is mature, melancholic and atmospheric.
A mournful piano introduces the album, supported by a violin before the big riff starts ‘Endless Buildings’ properly. Vocally, Luis McFadden, is very similar to Nick Holmes of gothic doom legends Paradise Lost. The similarities between the bands cannot be unheard, but fortunately the strength of the songs overcome the comparisons.
In Sorrow’s Requiem continues. ‘Solitude’ again provides a mournful reclusive backdrop as strings drive the track forward. The track picks up towards the end, but its gothic nature is truly representative of the album as a whole.
There are a number of real high-points. ‘The Dark Machine’ is the first track to get the heart pumping. ‘Shelter Me’ has a chugging riff, with McFadden firing in dirty vocals alongside strong clean vocals as he begs for safety. Strings again interrupt the riffs, superbly placed, before the riffs fire up again. It is the best track on the album.
This album will appeal to old-school gothic metal fans. Nothing new is on offer. In Sorrow’s Requiem, from the very start, tells you what you are getting. If you buy into it, you are rewarded with tracks that will elicit emotions from you. You will feel the pain, the love and joy the tracks convey.
It has taken 10 years for Motus Tenebrae to deliver a new album. Metal may have moved on, musical genre fashions have come and gone. In Sorrow’s Requiem is the sound of a band who believe in what they do – and they have done it very well.
(4 / 5)
