Lacrimas Profundere are back with album number eleven but whilst it’s a nice, polished sounding release, it’s just a decidedly average offering from the band.
Having listened to them on and off since seeing them live with Apocalyptica in 2007, sadly it feels like the band hasn’t changed or progressed with their sound in the nine years I’ve been familiar with them, instead just spiralling in place. Hope Is Here doesn’t bring anything new to the table, nor does it feature any particularly strong or standout songs.
The vocals are emotive and beautifully delivered, and the instrumentation is nice and melodic with a heavier edge to it, but the songs as a whole don’t really pack a punch. It’s all too easy just to zone out and not take in the music as it’s not too engaging. It works well as background music but doesn’t serve well as a more immersive piece.
If you’re just discovering Lacrimas Profundere for the first time, then you could well enjoy this if you’re a fan of Gothic rock, but to someone who is a more long-term fan, it may prove to be somewhat of a disappointment.
6/10
