Versatile Gothic Potpourri without Any Remarkable Highlights - A Review of Lacrimas Profundere's How to Shroud Yourself with Night

German quartet Lacrimas Profundere has received quite some attention in the German gothic scene in the early years of the millennium and I remember several very good songs being included on samplers by magazines such as Sonic Seducer and Zillo back in the days. Somehow, the band's popularity declined as time went by and I got out of touch with its music. It's merely by coincidence that I discovered that the quartet had just released its thirteenth studio record and I was intrigued to find out whether the quartet still had anything left to say or rather not.

The answer is both yes and no. On the positive side, the quartet employs a multitude of genres to create a gloomy final result. Several songs are rooted in slow, heavy and depressing doom metal honouring soundscapes that should please traditional metal fans and gothics alike. Other songs can be described as gothic rock as the instrumental work is rather atmospheric than technically appealing and emphasizes the lyrics over the musicianship. The band however also uses melodic death metal soundscapes with mid-paced guitar riffs and sinister screams that justify the inclusion of a band such as this on a website like The Metal Archives. As you can read, the band is certainly versatile and creative and could appeal to quite a few people who have never heard a song of them in recent years.

The main issue of this release nevertheless remains the songwriting. Even though every song is only around four minutes in length and usually features traditional verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structures, none of the ten new songs manages to leave a mark and compete with the band's material from one-and-a-half decades ago. This album lacks structures that truly surprise, refresh and innovate. It's missing heartfelt guitar melodies that could move the listeners. There is also an absence of gripping choruses going along with the emotional lyrics. Simply stated, this is the kind of album that needs dedication, patience and time to grow but it doesn't offer any material destined to be performed in concert or regain the band the momentum it once had.

At the end of the day, fans of gothic metal in the key of the calmer records by Katatonia, Moonspell or even Opeth can give this record a spin or two. Occasional genre fans might however not find enough quality here to convince themselves to pay twenty bucks for this output. Perhaps the band could opt for a compilation or live album to attract new fans in the near future and bring back old sympathizers.

Final Rating: 60%