You have to hand it to De Profundis – they really are aiming high. With their second album in three years, the UK-based five-piece have pulled out all the stops. The production is gilt-edged and thunderous, the artwork professionally executed, the band photos are quality and the press package glossier than most top-shelf magazines. No expense has been spared to ensure that ‘A Bleak Reflection’ grabs the attention of the extreme metal fan from the word go. This is a band that mean to be taken seriously and are without a doubt putting their money where their mouth is.
De Profundis present a sophisticated take on classic UK doom metal, bringing on board a variety of progressive influences in a bid to carve their own distinct sound. 2007’s self-released debut ‘Beyond Redemption’ was a brave and ambitious effort to synthesise a number of doom styles, if a little hamstrung by an over-dry production and a slight lack of identity in the songwriting. ‘A Bleak Reflection’ sets forth on trails of gentle piano and when the first full track ‘Ablaze in Autumn’s Fire’ breaks free, that the band have upped their game considerably is not in doubt. The recording quality is top-notch, the drums in particular boasting a powerful, organic resonance. Guitarists Roman and Shoi have clearly spent many an hour honing their interplay, lead-lines and harmony riffs weaving in and out across the inventive rhythmic backing provided by new boys Nick Tingle and fretless bass devotee Alan McSporran. The band’s assuredness oozes from every minute of ‘A Bleak Reflection’, from the decision to put out an album that runs for well over an hour to the sheer professionalism of the musical performances. All of this is topped off by the authoritative vocals of Craig Land, as deep and as dark as an abandoned mine.
So why the reservations? Why am I struggling to wholeheartedly endorse this record? Put simply, the questions concerning De Profundis’s sense of identity still linger. With this album, the band’s primary reference point seems to have switched from early My Dying Bride/Anathema to the first Opeth album. For much of this record, the pace has quickened considerably to the jaunty gallop so beloved by the Swedish prog/death outfit in their early days whilst numerous lead motifs have that distinctive Akerfeldt stamp. Whilst the band have made no secret of their progressive leanings, this does feel like a very sudden shift of emphasis with crushing funereality seemingly sidelined in favour of more wistful, autumnal stylings. It’s a strange mix, with the band seemingly covering every style of extreme metal that has been popular at one stage over the last two decades throughout the album’s running time. Crucially though, De Profundis as yet lack the songwriting nuances that elevated Opeth above their contemporaries. Flashes of inspiration (such as the desolate stabs and bleak vocals during the captivating mid-section of ‘Cease to Be') are spaced apart by too many throwaway harmony riffs by numbers. Gentle acoustic breakdowns pleasingly break up the flow but too many times for comfort, the band resort to tried-and-trusted chugging. Ultimately, whilst ‘A Bleak Reflection’ showcases a band with undoubted talent and unquestionable drive, much like its predecessor, it's held back by a lack of focus. One can’t escape the feeling that in trying to appeal to so many audiences, De Profundis may fall into the trap of truly satisfying no audience at all.
http://deprofundistheband.com
http://www.myspace.com/deprofundisuk
