A Bleak Reflection

Bleak

     

While 'A Bleak Reflection' is a doom metal album at heart the band include other musical styles and genres (black/death/progressive), making listening an exciting and powerful experience. There's some of the flavours and epic song lengths of Opeth and My Dying Bride, but De Profundis are unique enough and have a distinct enough voice to stand apart. Overall the whole album sounds great with some top performances from the players. Special mention has to go to the brilliant lead guitar work, which is melodic and intricate, and the (possibly fretless) bass playing which is high in the mix and also very melodic (if you listen to a lot of metal you'll know it is quite rare for a bass player to stand out - another thing that makes De Profundis unique). The vocals are possibly the star of the show though - deep, agressive growls and screams mixed with some clean vocals - they give the whole album a real edge.
This album is a real epic journey, and although it is very mournful like most doom (Swallow the Sun is another good reference point) it also rocks like hell. I think this British band have the potential to be one of the world's top doom bands. I can't recommend this album enough.