(CD/LP, Steamhammer, 2026)
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.
The TYPE O NEGATIVE-esque basslines opening “Days Of Doom” immediately set the tone, while Larre’s deep, growling vocals stand with one foot in Gothic territory and the other planted firmly in Doom-heavy ground. Catchy melodies and foot-tapping grooves sit side by side with SENTENCED-inspired guitars and an inescapable sense of gloom. The kind you want to sink into while digging deeper into lyrics that perfectly complement the album’s black-and-white artwork. “Nevermore” then takes a sharp turn toward a HIM-painted Gothic landscape, with deep clean vocals and mid-tempo guitars paving the way toward an irresistibly catchy chorus that would probably make Ville Valo smile. Can you think of another word carrying more Gothic weight than nevermore? Yes, I am referring to Edgar Allan Poe, and the sound of crows at the end of the song only strengthens the connection.
Genuine Gothic Rock/Metal lives (or perhaps hides) beneath layers of emotion and dense atmosphere. On “Heart, I Will Break You Before You Break Me”, that atmosphere thickens through expertly placed keyboards that add drama and dimension, particularly around the growled chorus line “crawling in your arms with nothing more left.” The string arrangements, the Peter Steele-like throaty delivery of “Heart, I will break you before you break me,” and the double-bass drumming combine into one of those details that simply feels like the chef’s kiss.
The album sequencing works almost like a Gothic photo album, with each page casting a different shade of light on the wide range of influences that have ultimately become part of LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE’s own musical identity. “O Silent Fear” is dipped in that SENTENCED-meets-AMORPHIS kind of sweet melancholy, where somehow the sadder the lyrics become, the catchier the song feels. The way the guitar melody emerges from the mist after the “come and follow me” line and leads into “nothing’s alive, no one is real” is the kind of moment capable of producing genuine goosebumps. Exactly as it should.
The evolution of Larre’s role within the sound of LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE becomes particularly apparent in the contrast between the Gothic melancholy of “Agony (In Dread And Dust)” and the much more straightforward Metalcore attack of “Faceless”. The beauty of that transition is how natural it feels. Both songs clearly come from the same source, because this album seems comfortable exploring every shade of gray between loneliness and connection. There is no clear dividing line between the two as someone may choose isolation while still craving closeness, without necessarily knowing how to bridge that gap.
Benny Richter also deserves special mention for his keyboard arrangements, and particularly for the way they build landscapes around songs such as “Arcane Promises” and my personal favorite, “Veil XV,” where piano meets an almost post-apocalyptic soundscape. Between those two sits the SLIPKNOT-grooved “A Sinful Desire”, once again giving Larre space to demonstrate the breadth of his vocal range. And I kid you not: the percussion in “At The End Of A Dream Lies The Hope You Once Killed”, together with the rhythm guitars, evokes flashes of SOULFLY-like tribal atmosphere while still coexisting naturally with LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE’s Gothic heaviness. It is a fitting curtain-dropper for an album that leaves you wondering whether you should immediately start the emotional journey all over again. Because those bass lines from the opening track are already calling your name.
It remains something of a mystery why Gothic atmospheres can feel so satisfying, even comforting, while dealing with sadness, fear, loneliness and despair. LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE have expanded their sound without losing its identity, confidently using all of their strongest assets while giving themselves room to explore heavier, darker and more modern territory. And since this kind of music clearly reaches another level when taken to the stage, perhaps it is finally time for LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE to cross the Atlantic. Don’t you think?
"Days of doom with no salvation
Veils in blood with all these questions
Shadows crawling for confessions
Come and heal me with your pleasures"
10/10
Links:
www.FaceBook.Com/LacrimasProfundereOfficial
www.Instagram.Com/LacrimasProfundereOfficial
Tracklist:
01. Days Of Doom
02. Nevermore
03. Heart I Will Break You Before You Break Me
04. O Silent Fear
05. Agony (In Dread And Dust)
06. Faceless
07. Arcane Promises
08. A Sinful Desire
09. Veil XV
10. At The End Of A Dream Lies The Hope You Once Killed
Lineup:
Julian Larre - Vocals
Oliver Nikolas Schmid - Guitars
Ilker Ersin - Bass
Dominik Scholz - Drums