ALL MEN UNTO ME (RYLAN GLEAVE OF ASHENSPIRE) ANNOUNCES
REQUIEM
OUT 27TH JUNE VIA THE LARVARIUM
SHARES “SEQUENTIA” TODAY
All Men Unto Me is a project led by Rylan Gleave, composer and vocalist (most notably in Ashenspire and various Paraorchestra projects). Today, All Men Unto Me announces their second album Requiem, an album which re-imagines an ancient mourning in a real, contemporary setting.
Taking the broad emotional arcs of the Missa pro Defunctis, these structures pave way for new songs, ruminating on patriarchal power systems and the conditions of transmasculinity within these, through the haze of Queer reverence and forgiveness. In Rylan’s words, the Missa pro Defunctis “translates to ‘Mass for the dead’, and refers to the Catholic text taken from the Roman Missal. When set to music, it is called a ‘Requiem’. Requiem masses are usually performed at funerals. I’ve sung in a few Requiems — Mozart, Fauré, Duruflé — when I’ve been in choirs, and felt those dramatic arcs of the structure in my own voice. Writing a Requiem felt like processing my own complex feelings about the Church, patriarchal power within it (and more broadly), and the death of a part of me in a framework that allowed for mourning. The contours of sorrow, light, forgiveness, and reverence made space for these songs to speak to my own identity as a survivor, and use that structure in a way that let me direct an ancient narrative myself.”
Marrying traditional Anglican soundworlds of electro-pneumatic church organ and stacked choral vocals with heavier sounds, closer to experimental/noise rock and doom metal, Requiem sits at times near Swans, Kayo Dot, Lingua Ignota, Greet Death, and Scott Walker.
Today, All Men Unto Me shares the track “Sequentia“, about which Rylan says; “Sequentia reflects on the Last Judgement, where souls are either delivered unto Heaven or cast into eternal flames. I wrote it from the point of view of trying on the crown, trying to feel that wrath, and that burning capability of violence toward someone who has deeply wounded you. It doesn’t work for me. It’s a far cry from how I understand myself and my anger. At the peak of this journey, Sequentia tips over the edge in a prayer to feel alive, to feel anything other than the weight of this decision. The only emotion left is grief. I can’t answer what justice looks like. There is no satisfaction or righteousness or sanctity. And there is no easy forgiving.”
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “SEQUENTIA” BELOW”:
About the album, Rylan says;
“Much of this album is centered on patriarchal power dynamics within the church, and how these have translated across contexts more broadly. I’ve not made an anti-Christian album by any means; I think a lot of it speaks to forgiveness and compassion for the people that you care about, and for yourself. Sometimes the narrator talks to God, sometimes to structures, sometimes to no-one. There are references to the original Requiem mass in Latin, and old English translations, to other ancient texts and contemporary songs and poetry. It’s tough talking about traumatic themes without feeling like you’re oversharing, but there are moments of intensity brought about by what’s not being said in the lyrics. I think Scott has done a great job of making the music say what the voice isn’t saying. There’s a huge range of emotional complexity that we’ve managed to capture across the tracks, and the resounding feeling is pretty broken.
“It was incredibly cathartic to make in a lot of ways, and whilst the experiences aren’t always universal, I think there’s a lot in there to connect to, in the isolation, and the anger, and the not knowing how to feel. I hope the love and reverence cuts through too.”
A through line from debut album In Chemical Transit to Requiem is Rylan Gleave’s late-breaking voice, the imperfections that transition has left audible within it. Now 7 years on Testosterone, Gleave’s vocal delivery spans the avant-metal shrieks as heard in live performances for Ashenspire, through to agonisingly-faltering falsetto learned for Paraorchestra’s version of Scott Walker’s The Drift for Sky Arts.
Gleave’s venture further away from contemporary classical music is audible in this record, the rotating All Men Unto Me lineup closer to a band than an ensemble, with Scott McLean’s production drawing out moments of both incredible tenderness and hostility.
Requiem is not an album about one person or experience, but a journey through the emotional core of survivorship, Disability, and dignity.
COLLABORATORS
Music – Rylan Gleave and additional songwriting by Scott McLean
Lyrics – Rylan Gleave
Vocals and organ – Rylan Gleave
Guitar, bass, additional organ, sound design – Scott McLean
Drums – Alasdair Dunn
Violoncello – Simone Seales
Additional organ – Amaya López-Carromero
Drum technician – Stefan Pötzsch
Produced by Scott McLean and Rylan Gleave
Recorded by Scott McLean at Neon Fable Studios and St Brides Church, Glasgow Mixed by Scott McLean
Mastered by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios
Requiem album cover
REQUIEM TRACK LISTING:
1 – INTROIT
2 – SANCTUS
3 – KYRIE ELEISON
4 – PIE JESU
5 – SEQUENTIA [video]
6 – AGNUS DEI
7 – LUX ÆTERNA
8 – IN PARADISUM
ALL MEN UNTO ME LIVE (NEW MUSIC BIENNIAL):
7th June – Bradford UK City of Culture
4th July – Southbank Centre
PREVIOUS PRESS FOR ALL MEN UNTO ME:
“rapturous… one of the brightest lights in Scotland’s new music scene”
– One To Watch 2021, The Scotsman
“haunting” – The Herald
“breath-taking” – Veil of Sound
“a brave, fascinating, and triumphant view of transition”
– The Wire (review of debut album, In Chemical Transit)