Kev Rowland Over the course of the last decade De Profundis have built themselves an enviable reputation for delivering music of staggering power and breathtaking skill, both in the studio and on the stage. Although many think of them as a technical death metal band, I actually believe that they would be better stated to be extreme prog metal as they continue to transcend any particular genre, using one form as a base and then going wherever they wish. Earlier this year they released their fifth full-length album, ‘The Blinding Light of Faith’, through Transcending Obscurity Records and they have now signed a deal with Lusitanian Music to release the album as a limited vinyl edition. This allows the listener to study in detail the intricate, nightmarish album artwork created by Alex Tartsus (Sinister, Depravity etc.) while the band’s new logo, also stands out far more than in would in the smaller CD version.

The band have been known to be influenced by doom in the past, and it does point its nose in at different points during the album, but what makes this such a delight is the sheer refusal to conform to any particular pre-conceived ideas. There are times when this is out and out technical death, others when it is almost power metal in its approach, but it is consistently bending and melding, creating something which is always powerful and dynamic, but twisting into different directions so that no-one can work out where and how it is going to end. I find the production really interesting as well, as in many ways it exaggerates the melodic power of the music, with a bass line that is often found to be wandering along creating a sub-melody without the level of attack that one may expect from this form of music.

Incredibly detailed and layered, this is an incredibly complex album which listeners will gain more from each and every time it is played. It is hard to imagine an more imaginative death metal album being released by anyone this year.

Kev Rowland

Zero Tolerance Magazine have always been big supporters of De Profundis and so, when discussions turned to how best to celebrate the first ten years of the band’s recording history, they decided to give something back to their loyal fans and the avid readers of the magazine. Rather than release their retrospective compilation, ‘Decayed: 2007 – 2017’, in the usual manner, De Profundis chose to work with Zero Tolerance to give 10,000 copies away, free, with every newsstand copy of issue 79 of the prestigious magazine. ‘Decayed...’ features nine remastered songs selected from across the De Profundis discography and one exclusive new track, “An Orgy Of Grotesqueries”.

I am somewhat surprised to have not come across these guys before, as their take on Death Metal (also heavily influenced by Black Metal) is a feast for the ears. Even when putting this on for the first time there is a realisation that something isn’t quite the same as the rest, and it is only with careful listening that one realises that bassist Arran McSporran is doing something virtually unheard of in extreme music, namely he is playing a fretless instrument. This is something that is normally heard far more in jazz and blues, but the warmth of the sound (even though still played with the aggression one would expect in this genre) gives the music a quite different edge. Add to that great vocals, and powerful highly interlinked riffing backed with a barrage of drums and I am incredibly surprised that these guys have been around for ten years and haven’t become a major name. Zero Tolerance magazine says that De Profundis are “one of the UK’s best underground metal bands”, but surely it can only be a matter of time before they make it out of the underground into wider recognition. This is essential listening.

optisailor2002 The progressive extreme metal tag typically reminds me of bands like Opeth and Ihsahn, with these bands being some of the ones that marked my initial foray into extreme progressive metal. UK extreme progressive metal band De Profundis has over their past 2 albums displayed a constant improvement in their capabilities, and this year sees the release of their third full length album, The Emptiness Within.

Opening track From the Depths sound almost like the soundtrack to the intro of a movie, and sets a dark mood for the album. Delirium begins the album proper, with melodic death metal-sounding lead guitars, before giving way to an almost black metal blast-beat and riffing section. One then instantly knows that this is going to be an interesting ride filled with influences from all over the metal spectrum to be present on The Emptiness Within. The progressive elements on the album are extremely prominent, with tracks containing transitions into numerous different sounds within each of them, constantly testing and pushing the boundaries of the band members as musicians, and the band as a songwriting unit. While most of them range from the usual black and death metal elements, there is even a jazz-sounding section towards the end of Release, as a preview to how wide-sounding The Emptiness Within is.

Throughout the album, there is a dark cloud that constantly shrouds the music, lingering in the atmosphere, and this is usually done through the playing of haunting clean guitar lines in the background, such as on Silent Gods, which gives a contradicting sense of calm yet unease at the same time as the band suddenly shifting into more aggressive sections with little warning, eliminating the need for the usage of synths to enhance the atmosphere which could potentially end up resulting in a cheesy sound instead. It is also nice to hear how the band manages to keep up that atmosphere despite the relatively fast pace that they usually travel at. Furthermore, vocalist Craig also alternates between shrieks, growls and clean vocals according to the mood of the music, displaying his vocal range, and this can be heard on This Wretched Plague, where there is the inclusion of an almost chant-like clean vocals in the middle of the track.

The technical abilities of the individual musicians in De Profundis are constantly displayed throughout, and in particular Arran's bass playing captures my attention, with his style being reminiscent of such bassists as Obscura's Linus and Dream Theater's John Myung, though slightly less flamboyant. The abundance of bass spots for him and the way he utilises his instrument as though it were a third lead instrument is evidence of his talent. Guitarists Roman and Soikot also display versatility in their playing styles, ranging from aggressive black metal-styled trem-picking to an almost jazz-fusion style lead guitar playing, all executed with much flair. The feel that is put in the lead guitar playing also enhances the enjoyment of the album, and moments such as the introductory solo of This Wretched Plague are particularly memorable and melodic. Drummer Nick as well displays his influences throughout, at times sounding like Mikkey Dee's work on King Diamond's Abigail album, especially the play on the ride on This Wretched Plague and later, Twisted Landscapes. There is also the playing in odd time signatures that test the independence of his limbs like on Release.

To be honest, first listens did not left much of an impact nor an impression on me, and this was largely due to the production quality which at times sees the drums almost drowning out the rest of the instruments, though numerous listens later the album really starts growing on the listener.

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