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Lacrimas Profundere > Filthy Notes for Frozen Hearts > Reviews
Lacrimas Profundere - Filthy Notes for Frozen Hearts

Joy In Misery - 95%

OzzyApu, October 15th, 2013
Written based on this version: 2006, CD, Napalm Records (Limited edition, Digipak, Enhanced)

I can’t contain my love for this album any longer. Gothic in general isn’t any genre I’ve delved deeply in, but what I’ve heard in metal acts like Diabolique, Type O Negative, Autumn, and this, there are enough levels of greatness to appeal me. Something about melancholy wrapped in an undemanding form is super pleasing to my ears. In terms of Lacrimas Profundere, they swapped poignant gothic metal / doom for gothic rock / modern rock, which this album is of the highest order. Seriously, aside from one track this thing is a masterpiece. Not once does it feel too long, nor does it ever get dry after the millionth listen. Everything about this is basic but its fortitude is in the way it competently executes the fundamentals and brings forth something clever and entertaining.

Take the first song, go all the way to the seventh, and behold - you have a non-stop, ass-kicking streak. I’m amazed at not only how fast it goes by but also how each one is insanely memorable, catchy, and infectious. I can’t point out a single thing wrong with any of them. If I were to get nit-picky, then maybe I’d swap out the female backing vocals in the opener to Christopher Schmid’s higher cleans. His vocals are predominately in a bass tone (think Peter Steele from Type O Negative). It’s so smooth during most of the choruses, but sometimes it’s so deep he literally sounds like Peter Steele (there’s a dead-on impression in “An Irresistible Fault”). His harsh vocals are long gone so it’s all bass and higher with a calmer clean. It’s not a menacing voice, but one that’s relaxing and warm (not to mention beguiling). His accent’s somewhat apparent, although his performance is flawless and not one time am I turned off by his vocal lines aside from one track.

Just to get it out of the way, that track is “An Irresistible Fault,” which doesn’t live up to any other song on here. It just feels lazy and completely kills the momentum of the album. Most of these songs are thrilling and mid-paced but that one’s sloppily executed and doesn’t have any good hooks. The riffs are rather bland and while there’s some blubbery bass that gels, the song has nothing going for it. Everything up to that point followed a lead or keyboard melody and rocked the fuck out. It’s not like any of these songs are super long, either. “My Mescaline” is the only song on here that pushes the length but even that one’s developed, doomy, and ripe with melody per its monolithic demeanor in comparison to the rocky songs on here. The only vastly different song is “Sad Theme For A Marriage,” which slows things for keys and acoustics under Schmid’s sullen delivery.

Small divergences and one bad track, however, can only diminish this album’s outstanding character so much. Other than those instances expect hit after hit. The single “Again It’s Over” is a prime example of finding a rocking rhythm and putting crunchy riffs to it that glide with the bass to make something heavy yet cheery. The production’s polished and balmy, engineered to add meat anywhere it lacked. Going back to the “Again It’s Over,” the chorus is probably the catchiest, most memorable passage on the album. “No Dear Hearts” and “Filthy Notes” are two others that come close to matching it, but that one chorus is addicting with its dual vocals and wavy riff. One thing the songs lack are solos, but even that’s passable considering the content at hand. Another track that shouldn’t be left out is the bonus track “Shiver,” which is an amazing song. It’s got the album’s most sorrowful keys and a magnificent, touching guitar harmony for its finale.

There’s more to gush over this album about, but hearing it is the only way to be totally convinced. Writing-wise it’s very standard, particularly the drumming. I don’t think I heard any real eclectic drumming aside from the same standard modern rock patterns. I said before though that with such an elementary style something cool and astute was created. It’s such a shame that right after this Schmid left and what we got was a replacement that tries hard to match that charisma. Well that may be a little harsh, but Vitacca was without a doubt a step down from Schmid (until he found his own on Antiadore). In terms of their rock era, Lacrimas Profundere doesn’t get any better than right here.

Shiver Over It Again, Baby! - 87%

MystifyXD, February 20th, 2010

I never liked this much when I first listened to this. Maybe because I wasn't a full-pledged fan of rock 'n' sad music then, or I'm not that choosy then about goth music, but either way, it's okay now, because, I enjoy listening to this album very much. It took me a while, like 5 listens to the whole alum, before appreciating it, even more than "Songs For A Last View", although a good album too. This one's quality goth from Lacrimas Profundere... but unfortunately, this is the last for Christopher Schmid.

Let's talk about the album cover first, alright? It depicts a rainy afternoon, and that weather is usually associated with sadness & gloominess, which perfectly describes the album. Now the lyrics. It has a perfect balance of short & long (and also, medium-length lyrics), & it talks about usual goth stuff, like lost love, mistakes in love... Yeah, a lot of things about failed love, stuff you think are emo. But this is goth, and it's just natural for goth songs to have such lyrics. Besides, the band wrote their lyrics poetic enough... for a song. I said that because, usually excessive poetry doesn't mix with music. Okay, you get the point.

Let's start first with the positives: The three tracks that I liked the most are "No Dear Hearts", "Should" and "Filthy Notes", for it says the real rock 'n' sad sound. They are not too hard rock song or too gothic, but a perfect combination of rock & goth. Yes, a perfect blend. There are some songs that are also catchy, like "Sweet Caroline" (the intro) & "Again It's Over" (the chorus). Since this is a male-fronted goth band, expect a deep, smooth, melodic voice (courtesy of Christopher Schmid), beautiful & melancholic keyboard sound, and of course, the crunchy guitar riffs, for the authentic "rock 'n' sad" sound. The last song of the album, "Shiver", has the most melancholic intro, the intro that depicts an eternal goodbye. "Sad Theme For A Marriage" is also one song that depicts loneliness, with its slowness & the acoustic guitar, and also the unusually deeper voice. The last song that caught my attention here, is "Short Glance", from it's melancholic atmosphere throughout the song. The song doesn't have (& it doesn't need to) the deep goth voice, but instead adds more goth on its melody. Indeed, one of the saddest songs in the album, ever.

Now , the negatives: First of all, I just can't stand to listen to "Not To Say". The chorus oftentimes makes me sick. Why? Because it's chorus is repetitive & silly. It always repeats the "We aren't here..." part, which oftentimes makes you sick. My second complaint here is the song "My Mescaline". It's ending. It would be okay if this recording is just a demo, but it's not. Also, this song is the longest on the album, spanning at 6 minutes and 13 seconds, & at about 3 to 4 minutes the annoying instrumental part already plays. .

Everything with all the pros and cons, for me, this is still the real "Gothic Appetite For Destruction", Rocking yet melodically written goth rock music. They started it (kind of) cautiously in their album, "Fall, I Will Follow", then took steps upward with "Ave End" & now they have perfected the art of "rock 'n' sad" in this album. Very beautiful. I recommend this album for people who needs to release their woes, especially to the heart-broken people out there. You'll feel a lot better after listening to the whole album, I swear.

Thanks for all Christopher! - 90%

Kojo, December 9th, 2009

Lacrimas Profundere is a band name I know for several years, but I never got to listen to this German combo. I read pretty positive reviews about their last few albums and also this 'Filthy notes for frozen hearts', their seventh opus, is getting very positive feedback. I was a bit surprised about the sound of Lacrimas Profundere, as I didn't expect the gothic rock to be as catchy and smooth as what I hear on this opus. I expected a more sober and dry approach in the style of bands like Katatonia and On Thorns I Lay. However, the type of gothic rock the Germans of Lacrimas Profundere display here sounds like an American style of gothic rock to me, as it reminds me of Type O Negative and The Bronx Casket Co. I’m certainly not a gothic rock expert, but I notice a difference between the Finnish and the American type of gothic rock. At least, the latter I associate with low, deep male vocals and a more doomy feeling, while the Finnish gothic rock - I mean the smooth type, with Sara Lee as the most recent example - is faster and displays higher pitched vocals. However, someone else might as well hear a resemblance with the Finnish H.I.M. in Lacrimas Profundere. Let’s not forget that references always are highly subjective...

Anyway, while listening for the first time to these ‘Filthy notes’ I actually got pretty bored… (a main reason for that I’m more into gothic metal than gothic rock). But suddenly, while the song 'Sweet Caroline' was playing, I found myself singing along with that catchy refrain! During a second spin, I also found out that ‘Again it’s over’ is a powerful song with a great ‘rock ‘n roll’ feeling and excellent deep male vocals. In fact, the deep, low vocals of Christopher Schmid excel during the entire album. His voice has a strong resemblance with that of Peter Steele of Type O Negative. Another strong aspect of this release is the production: the album has a great ‘groovy’ feeling, mainly because of the slow, powerful riffs. The last songs on this album feature some female backing vocals together with Cristopher’s voice. These songs are also enriched with piano accompaniment, which give these songs an atmosphere that reminds me of the Swedish gothic rock combo Beseech. This makes the closing track ‘Shiver’ another pretty nice, infectious sing-along-tune!

Conclusion: ‘Filthy notes for frozen hearts’ is a high-quality gothic rock release that will appeal to a broad audience. Think of it as a catchier version of the recent Type O Negative. Most likely this album won’t be part of my year list of 2006, but that’s just due to my personal musical preferences. When you’re into catchy male-fronted gothic rock, this album will most likely be a very welcome addition to your music collection.