LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE

How many times do you think you'll have to read "Rock 'n' Sad" in a review of "Filthy Notes for Frozen Hearts" by Germany's LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE? Hey, at least it's fairly descriptive of the music. There is a whole lot of rockin' going on here and the melancholia flows like a river. The peppering of comparisons to bands like TYPE O NEGATIVE (Christopher Schmid's bellowing croon),SENTENCED (the rockin' factor),and of course SISTERS OF MERCY are appropriate. Most importantly, the tunes are infectious, the guitars are thick, the rhythms drive hard, and the keyboards are set perfectly in the mix. And all of it is covered in a morose film.

Much attention will be paid to the whole gothic thing, but it is the often immediately gratifying songs that make "Filthy Notes…" a memorable album. None of these dark ditties are exactly original and the latter day work of SENTENCED tops most of it, but each track is enjoyable. "My Velvet Little Darkness" begins with a steady, bass-driven beat and a strong chorus, while the SENTENCED rock factor kicks in with Pete Steele imitation vocals on single "Again It's Over". Several similar catchy rockers are heard with "Not to Stay", "Sweet Caroline", "To Love Her on Her Knees", "No Dear Hearts" (with superb use of piano),and the title track, which sports a pronounced synth line. "Should" moves briskly with some meaty riffs, but the toned down verse, light strumming, and airy keys subdue the piece to some extent. The so-so "An Irresistible Fault" features a slower tempo and fat, lumbering riffs between its quiet verses.

The solemn tracks are competent as well, though are not quite as catchy. A gloomier and darkly beautiful vibe surrounds the flowing "Short Glance". The mellow acoustic "Sad Theme for a Marriage" is the most brooding of the bunch. The six-minute "My Mescaline" muddles along in tear-flowing fashion and eventually builds to a quicker pace, then returns to a plod before existing quietly to the cold sounds of piano. The mid-paced and dreamy digi-pack bonus track "Shiver" closes out the disc.

I wouldn't call "Filthy Notes For Frozen Hearts" a guilty pleasure, as that implies a degree of sub-standard song craft, but much of it will sound familiar to many. Regardless, the disc is wholly entertaining and very well done.