De Profundis – Kingdom of the Blind (Wicker Man Recordings)
Sunday, 6th September 2015
Being introduced to De Profundis through last year’s Frequencies EP, the band’s fourth full-length, Kingdom of the Blind, was a welcome treat to my inbox. Taking much of the same formula that fueled their EP, De Profundis operates on a playing field that seems to pay attention to several different influences at once without compromise.
Kingdom of the Blind walks a very fine line between melodic death metal and technical death metal. The band cites Opeth, Death, and Cynic as influences and one can easily see how those three have affected De Profundis’ sound. There’s everything from jazz flourishes (love those bass lines) to progressive leads to technically scorching riffs to rumbling death metal heaviness. Plus you can hear some echoes of doom and black if you are looking. It’s all pretty cohesive with all of the different directions the band wants to go in, and leads to a listen that rewards with each returning visit. There are some cool otherworldly riffs within “A Strange Awakening” that lead into an excellent melody. “All Consuming” slows down the pace, with some more jazzy bass bits and spoken word. The opener, “Kult of the Orthodox” fires off Obscura-esque technical riffing (alongside some similar guttural roars) and introduces the album in energetic fashion (yes, technically speaking “Overture” opens but it’s more of a build up to this track). One could easily find some spots worth mentioning in each track, but you get the idea here.
De Profundis continues to improve with each effort, and Kingdom of the Blind is their strongest yet. For those interested in any walks of death metal, there’s something here you can enjoy and appreciate.
