In a genre where so many bands are content to follow in the footsteps of their illustrious forebears, De Profundis, the UK death metal institution who recently celebrated their tenth anniversary, continue to push the boundaries, instilling their brutality with a depth and passion that ranks them as one of the very best death metal bands on the planet today. With a new logo (Gary Ronaldson), stunning artwork (Alex Tartsus) and a renewed sense of purpose, ‘the blinding light of faith’ sees De Profundis ready to step forward into the second decade of their career still questing to expand and develop their sound. Regarding the album and its heavy themes, De profundis explained recently that: “There is no nation or people on this earth who haven’t suffered under the savagery of at least one of the Abrahamic religions and to reflect that suffering we have made the heaviest, most aggressive record of our career.” Heavy and aggressive it may be, but De profundis have never underestimated the value of dynamic and the album flows perfectly from track to track, with the result that ‘the blinding light of faith’ may well be their finest album to date.
Opening with the astonishing ‘Obsidian Spires’, De Profundis offer up a more tightly focused expansion of 2015’s ‘Kingdom of the blind’, with Arran McSporran’s bass work in particular, shining out as an example of how each instrument can be used to create a truly expansive sonic palette no matter how searing the core of the song. It is these progressive instincts that lie at the heart of De profundis’ success and yet the band are savvy enough not to let such elements become the song and the result is a track that is as enjoyable free from analysis as it is a musical masterclass. Opening with a sample that demonstrates the true insidious nature of evil, ‘War be upon him’ is a churning cauldron of icy death metal riffing, over which Craig Land delivers his unearthly proclamations with unerring authority. Adrenalin charged and harrowing in its ferocity, ‘war be upon him’ is death metal at its most potent, nothing more or less. Better still is ‘opiate for the masses’ which draws upon classic metal as well as more standard death metal influences with its galloping percussion and deftly intertwined guitar riffs. With strong progressive undercurrents, the band even edge in a touch of black metal grind to deliver a track that is almost symphonic in the twists and turns it takes over its six-minute run time. It is everything we’ve come to expect form De Profundis over the years, honed and refined to a razor point, and just when you think you have the track figured out, the band throw in some astonishingly organic jazz moves just to give the whole piece extra frisson. ‘The bastard sons of Abraham’, meanwhile, opens as a mid-tempo groove-monster that heads off into virulent black metal territory, the harsh vocals and rampaging riffs contrasting nicely with the fluidity of the lead work.
Opening with the sounds of conflict, ‘martyrs’ is one of the most searing tracks De profundis have ever put their name to, the hyper-speed riffing and acid-bath vocals underpinned by a nervy anger based on lengthy societal observation. Better still is ‘Godforsaken’, a carefully-paced track that opens as a none-more-brutal mid-tempo piece before the band give the track its head and ramp up the speed. At the heart of the track are the deft dynamic shifts that give the piece real weight, not to mention space for some of the record’s most elegant lead work. De Profundis have never been a band to deploy speed for speed’s sake and the slower elements serve to perfectly emphasise the harrowing speed of follow-up track ‘beyond judgement’ which, with its crawling lead work, jazz-infused bass runs, and apocalyptic percussion sounds all the more extreme for the contrast. The album ends with the monstrous epic, ‘bringer of light’, an ambitious, prog-tinged behemoth to which the rest of the album seems to have been building. Here, the band’s innovative and exceptional musicianship is given full reign as they gleefully explore their myriad influences and the result is a slab of brutality that is as majestic in its deployment as it is ferocious in aspect.
De Profundis are one of those rare bands who manage to simultaneously serve their influences whilst seeking out the unique, with the result that their music treads the razor-fine line between classic death metal and innovation. Musically, the band are exceptional, but there’s never a feeling that their musicality does anything other than serve the song, and the thematic weight of the concept does much to ground these songs in genuine and relatable anger. In short, De profundis have crafted a masterpiece – an album which will serve as a benchmark for extremity over the course of 2018 (and beyond). 9
