Lacrimas Profundere – The Grandiose Nowhere (Napalm Records)
Tuesday, 19th March 2013
Inexplicably, we skipped over Lacrimas Profundere’s 2008 effort, Songs For the Last View. Maybe it was because of our undivided attention toward the Summer Olympics of that year. Or not. Either way, the biggest name in German Gothic metal (sorry, Crematory) return with their 8th album, The Grandiose Nowhere, which as expected, is every bit the pouty, sleek Goth metal/rock affair it should be…save for the fact that it’s ruined by the vocals.
Since we missed out on the aforementioned Songs For the Last View, it appears LP has made a vocalist switch, swiping long-time throat Christopher Schmid for Rob Vitacca. The move does not work in the band’s favor, as Vitacca has a too-enunciated vocal approach that all but sideswipes LP’s otherwise well-written Goth numbers. It’s like the man is trying to sing with a big wad of spit in his mouth and frankly, it’s pretty damn irritating, just have a quick listen of “Be Mine In Tears” and “Lips.”
Nevertheless, we’re treated to some choice Goth romps like “I Don’t Care” (one of the few songs where Vitacca doesn’t get in the way) and lead single “The Letter,” which proves to be a hook-laden affair, with lush keyboards. There are some real stinkers here, namely “Her Occasion of Sin,” “Side” and “Not For Love,” the latter of which sounds like bad Billy Idol.
The band is clearly hindered by the new singer and had Schmid still been around, the results would probably be different. As the first real dud in what has been a strong, very reliable career, The Grandiose Nowhere only gets a passing rating because of Lacrimas Profundere’s track record. Here’s to hoping they’ll wise up and get a new guy on the mic…
(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)
