LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE

Bleeding The Stars STEAMHAMMER/OBLIVION

Romantically doomed Germans reconnect with their roots

Back in 1995, Lacrimas Profundere introduced themselves in a doomy fog with their mournful debut, …And the Wings Embraced Us. By 2004’s

Ave End, however, they’d morphed into a goth metal band, deeply in thrall to HIM’s dark majesty. Last year, vocalist Roberto Vitacca was replaced by Julian Larre and, on Bleeding The Stars, the trio have reconnected with their doom roots, although they’ve eschewed the classical lean of yore. This is a new incarnation, one that merges the solemn metal of their early work with the melodic goth of the last 15 years. The highlights are many: Celestite Woman recalls Type O Negative via Razorblade Romance; Mother Of Doom lovingly caresses deep, melodic hooks, and on Father Of Fate and album standout Like Screams In Empty Halls, Julian juxtaposes smoky growls against churning riffs and ghastly atmospheres. Bleeding The Stars is something of a rebirth.

FOR FANS OF: Paradise Lost, HIM, Anathema