An ode to duality.

At first, the news of Ira Black parting ways with VIO-LENCE didn’t make much sense, as the band was doing great. Apparently, there was a very good reason behind that decision, and it had a name: APOCÆLYPSE. Among the long list of bands Ira Black has toured and recorded with, this is the first one to have him handling the vocals in addition to the guitar. Bold move? Definitely, and it seems that Black had this vision decades ago, but for whatever reason it had never materialized. Until now.

It was difficult for me to admit that both “Berserker” and “The Great Heathen Army” had left me wanting more, even though live, AMON AMARTH were still performing at their usual high-quality level. Don’t get me wrong; I did try to like those albums, and there are a couple of songs that can, and have, entered the band’s setlist. But something was missing to such an extent that I approached “The Allfather Awakens” with some hesitation. Although, to be honest, the awakens part had already rekindled the fire.

Bands can be considered families, complete with all the growing pains that come with them, while at the same time functioning like sports teams. Both require effort, chemistry, and often being forged in fire. LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE, with Julian Larre behind the mic, worked extremely hard after the release of “How To Shroud Yourself With Night” in 2022, sharpening their teeth through more than 100 shows before returning to the studio to create “Lay Me Down O Silent Fear”, an album capable of standing tall within a fourteen-album catalogue and a thirty-three-year history. Of course, one could argue that after three decades, writing new material may come more naturally, and there may be some truth to that. But living up to your own standards? That may be the hardest shell to crack.