Memorandum

'Memorandum' is a vivid, vitalising vivisection of vitality's violence. It groans and howls the Sisyphean spiral of solicitude, its opera, bright piano and harp melodies animating its art. It distils the very lifeblood of doom metal itself into a tribute to its tragic heart. Unpolished yet sophisticated, raw yet relatable, devastatingly delicate, it unifies the heavy, doomy overtones of debut '...And the Wings Embraced Us' with the neoclassical dramatic scope achieved by sophomore 'La Naissance D'un Rêve.' Its modesty and cohesion allow it to illuminate a vibrant and engrossingly rich melancholy, its tender orchestral touches humanising the horror.

'Memorandum,' for all its melodrama, is far more restrained than the prior opus. The first three tracks in particular are sparse, relatively minimalist affairs- evoking My Dying Bride, or the most downbeat of moments within Draconian's 'Where Lovers Mourn,' embracing a more mature, distinct version of the debut's sound. These- albeit derivative- songs set a resplendent scene, oozing with that classic, thick gothic doom-death tone thanks to some impressively immense production. Simultaneously lo-fi yet dynamic and bold, its leaps and bounds beyond the already-impressive prior release. Guitars and drums punch hard with organic force, while orchestration is among the most emotive I've ever heard. Although it takes a backseat, this is some of the most impressive production on any metal project I've heard to date. This aural space is occupied by an inspired palate of instruments, always feeling full. The operatics and harp in particular serve as stars in its dour sky. This record resounds with its fullest potential, and it is majestic.

The ground beneath this humble introduction then abruptly caves in, giving way to a brilliant sonic subversion- 'Black Swans' is, indeed, so iconic that Lacrimas would go on to interpolate its constituent melodies numerous times throughout subsequent albums, particularly 'Antiadore. 'Memorandum' hits with far more force when one is taken off guard by its true potency- it is also impossible to discuss without spoiling the way in which this unfurls. Such unfurling is delicate and magnificent, truly worthy of its ornate scope. Anja Hötzendorfer's wailing, opulent horror intensifies and focusses the drama. It completely shifts the tone of the whole album. From this point on, all subsequent tracks are more complex, with further developed tremolo riffs and various orchestral touches layered on top. 'The Crown Of Leaving' introduces the tender teardrops of a soft harp, contrasting beautifully against its brutality.

Its strengths are its Achilles heel. Many ostinatos and motifs rise to the level of iconic, and serve as an incredible bedrock from which to condense the vast neoclassical ambitions of the sophomore into a far more accessible package. However, this quest inevitably dulls some of its potential. The first two tracks, particularly 'Helplessness,' don't develop the same unfolding dramatic tension as fast-paced piano-driven followup '...And How To Drown in Your Arms,' which vitalises their sluggish pace. 'Helplessness' is in many ways an inferior version of 'Reminiscence,' which bends reality itself around the distressed shrieking of its gradually rising, heart-wrenching tremolo riffs. Had these tracks been developed into the gloomy clouds of their truest potential, 'Memorandum' would shake the all-time greats.

A grandiose tragedy for the ages, 'Memorandum' is vitalising and soul-scorching. It forges the complexity of their doomy debut with the sophistication of their subterranean sophomore into heady, hypnotic heartsickness quite beyond words. Utterly unique in its muted melancholy, momentous and magnificent, it commands one's attention and conducts one's emotions.

To be loved is to be changed- to hear 'Memorandum' is to heal the holes hewn into one's heart by such transformation.

Lacrimas Profundere’s story isn’t an unfamiliar one; as they were yet one of those bands that ended up exchanging their melodic doom/death metal roots for an accessible gothic metal sound in their later years. What I do find note-worthy is how it took them some years before they would actually stand out with their original style. Memorandum is the band’s third album that blends the melodic styles of black, doom and gothic metal into a welcoming mix and while it’s not superb by any means, it’s worth spending time with.

Compared to its predecessor, Memorandum sounds more refined and focused. Relatively short songs that are part black, part doom and part gothic metal exchange a variety of musical ideas, even if they're partially driven by superficial, yet bearable vocals. Christopher Schmid's comprehensive growls and screams can be compared to the melodic death metal delivery of Mårten Hansen on October Tide's Grey Dawn and while they’re far from monotone, they hardly manage to stand out. Memorandum owes more of its success to the hummable guitars, which makes the album sound easy to the ears and resembles a gloomy autumn day. Anathema’s The Silent Enigma seems like the most obvious point of reference at this point; picture a few stripped down versions of ‘A Dying Wish’ and you're halfway there.

Some of the guitar licks sound extremely close to those of the aforementioned Anathema record to a point that I can't help but wonder about some possible rip-offs, but that doesn't bother me. Neither does the questionable hint at lazy writing; ‘Reminiscence’ makes a fine listen either way, but it starts off with some identical acoustic motives of ‘Infinity’, only to embrace the same tremolo-driven passages of ‘Helplessness’. It’s not something that I view as something negative per se, but it clearly proves that Memorandum isn't too much of an inspired record. The bigger issue comes down to some undesirable tunes that make the album smell as bad as an expired bratwurst. ‘The Crown of Leaving’ sees the band getting too much in the black metal territory with disastrous results. Forgettable riffs fly above poor black metal shrieks in an annoying manner, while the gothic moans and pianos aren't delivering much fun, either. At the same time, ‘Black Swans’ captures some of the gothic clichés in the worst way possible; where the piano serves as a main instrument and the vocal duet randomly plays their role between them. With no guitars present whatsoever, one can’t help but wonder whether the rest of the group recorded this while the guitarists were taking a shit, had to go to work instead, or were simply sick in their beds.

Yet, the good clearly outweighs the bad and some of these songs make Memorandum an album that’s worth revisiting for sure. ‘Helplessness’ is both melancholic and bitter; with blackened riffs that sting like wasps making their way between the gothic romanticism that never becomes unbearable, but rather allows the guitars to engage from different angles. It’s a superb track, even though I wish that the smooth riffs near the end would have finished the track instead of the resurrecting main motif. ‘And How to Drown in Your Arms’ gets closer to the band’s previous record with its exotic textures, yet works far better due to its short length and clever arrangements. Waving leads dance around the vocals and pianos and whereas the mood becomes gothic in a distinctive 90’s metal fashion. Sonically speaking, it's something more along the lines of early Amorphis mixed with pre-gothic On Thorns I Lay and I can't help but enjoy it. ‘The Embrace and the Eclipse’’ is another highlight, that introduces a wonderful contrast between some weeping violins and hopeful guitars melodies; resulting into a pleasant listening experience that's feels more relaxing than emotionally draining.

1999 wasn’t exactly a fantastic year for doom/death metal to begin with, yet Memorandum remains one of the better ones from that year and in this band's case, their finest work.

This review was originally written for antichristmagazine.com

With Anathema no longer wanting to play Doomdeath let alone Heavy Metal in general it’s a damn good thing that bands like Lacrimas Profundere pop up from time to time (even if they stopped playing Doom Metal after one more album). Calling them clones wouldn't be anywhere near accurate, but they do bare more than a few passing nods to the aforementioned fathers of Doomdeath.

This album has pretty good production. The guitars utilize a mixture of traditional Doomdeath and more modern Black Metal riffs. There are no solos but there are some good leads. The music is perhaps one part palm muted and two parts open chorded. The guitars play with harmonies and a more traditional lead/rhythm structure. Some of the patterns and leads bring older Anathema to mind, but it’s more of an expansion of their sound instead of flagrantly ripping it off.

The bass more often then not follows the guitars but dose venture off on his own from time to time. The drums are solid though somewhat standard. They work well with what is presented here. There is some keyboard in the background which lends itself to the ambiance nicely.

The vocals are curious as they are a mixture of male growls and shrieks coupled with spoken word and laced with operatic female vocals. The lyrics are of love and loss. The female vocals are angelic and compliment the music as a whole.

The only real down side to this is the length of the album as it’s really short given the number of songs. Other than that this is a rather amazing album. The tempos are slow to moderately slow with a few bursts of Black Metal fury thrown in for good measure.

This band has been one of those great gothic doom metal bands that seems to go relatively unnoticed despite producing an arguable classic such as Memorandum. This is the album where I felt there unique sound finally turned into a masterpiece. The most realistic comparison that comes to mind is a more gothic metal(less doom) oriented old Anathema/My Dying Bride. Using the usual vocal contrast but they have chosen a male vocalist for both spoken and harsh vocals.


One thing that puts this album over the top for me is the combination of very emotional yet soaring guitar leads which can vary from sounding old-mid period Katatonia to sorrowful tremolo leads mixed with slower doom-esque guitar rhythm with some interesting acoustic work to give the album some added dimensions. Throw in the obligatory keyboards to set the atmosphere into the mix and you have the basic elements. Memorandum is very consistent filled with memorable and harsh yet sorrow tinged melodies. The production is their best using this style of music and after this they steered further into less metal territory. It also helps when your album possesses one of the most beautiful songs ever in "Black Swans".

This is their best album in my opinion and I would recommend this from anyone in between an old My Dying Bride fan to a melodic death metal fan. Anyone who claims to be a fan of gothic metal should already have heard this otherwise what are ya waiting for?

Favorite tracks : Helplessness, Black Swans, All Your Radiance