Masters of Chant by Gregorian

Masters of Chant is the 1999 album that launched Gregorian, a German project that sings pop and rock songs in the style of plainchant. The idea sounds like a gimmick, yet the calm male voices give old hits a strange new gravity. I stumbled on it much later and could not stop listening.

Why listen?

The sound is hushed and reverent, layered choral voices set over soft instrumental beds. The production is clean and spacious, made to feel like a vast stone hall. The material is familiar, yet hearing it as chant draws out a longing you had not noticed. There is a sense of stepping into a quiet chapel away from the noise. It is an album that turns the ordinary into something solemn.

Favourite song: Nothing Else Matters

The Metallica ballad reborn as chant, and the album's signature moment. The chorus of voices makes the song feel like a vow.

So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who you are
And nothing else matters
So close no matter how far
Forever trusting who you are

The way the voices rise together feels like a slow climb taken at an unhurried pace. It reminds me of walking a quiet path at dusk, when the day settles and the mind grows still. The song trades fire for stillness and loses nothing in the trade.

Key takeaway

Masters of Chant is a curious idea carried off with real beauty. Play it when you need the world to grow quiet.

Tracklist

• Brothers in Arms
• Scarborough Fair
• Tears in Heaven
• Still I'm Sad
• When a Man Loves a Woman
• Nothing Else Matters
• Fade to Grey
• Losing My Religion
• Vienna
• The Sound of Silence
• Sebastian
• Don't Give Up

Details

Listen on

• Apple Music
• Amazon
• Spotify

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