Profound Lore Records

Evoken – Hypnagogia Review

By Ferrous Beuller on November 7, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Doom Metal, Profound Lore Records, Reviews, Doom Metal, 41 comments

“My history with Evoken handily mirrors my relationship with the genre these funereal leviathans so masterfully craft. If I’m not entirely of a mind to wallow in the brand of doom that lurches with the gait of mountains, then I struggle to fully commit. But funeral doom has never been for the casual listener, and rightly so. Evoken are ever the reliable constant and have returned to once again divide traditionalists with another morose mass of glacial grief. Hypnagogia is the Americans’ sixth album and arrives secure in its ability to fill some sizable shoes.” Death to joy.

Innumerable Forms – Punishment in Flesh Review

By Kronos on August 22, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Profound Lore Records, Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 43 comments

“The humble tomato. Once thought fatal to humans, this plump berry of controversial dietary properties has become ubiquitous in world cuisine, and just as it has spread, it has diversified. You can pick up a watery, underripe reddish spheroid at any supermarket in America and it will usually get the job done for a salad or sandwich, but it’s the freshly picked, heirloom varieties that really showcase the tomato’s potential, not only as a part of your diet but also as a metaphor—a metaphor for death metal, perhaps.” Tomato, tom-ot-o, DIE!

Wayfarer – World’s Blood Review

By El Cuervo on June 6, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Profound Lore Records, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Folk Metal, Progressive Metal, 38 comments

“World’s Blood operates at a similar intersection of folk, atmospheric black metal, and progressive tendencies as Agalloch. I would make some terrible puns about if it can take up that mantle or if it would merely be a pale imitation of those folkloric influences but I won’t do so as a man of class.” Class is cancelled.

Insect Ark – Marrow Hymns Review

By Kronos on March 2, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Avante Garde, Doom Metal, Drone, Profound Lore Records, Reviews, Drone, 0 comments

“Insect Ark’s debut, Portal/Well saw a warm, if not enthusiastic, welcome at AMG by our staff’s very own card-carrying Illuminati member. Such is Roquentin‘s power that the one-woman, drone-doom project didn’t blow up despite its extreme catchiness and party-ready bangers. Never one to allow the powers that be (other than myself) to dictate a band’s future, it was with great curiosity that I reached into the murky waters of the promo pond to retrieve Marrow Hymns, a sophomore effort which sees founding bassist/multi-instrumentalist Dana Schechter joined by drummer and synth-wrangler Ashley Spungin. At forty-four minutes, it’s hardly a marathon, yet the staid oddness of the whole thing proves to lengthen the listening experience.” Swarm drone.

Portal – Ion Review

By Kronos on January 24, 2018 in 2018, Australian Metal, Avante Garde, Death Metal, Profound Lore Records, Reviews, Death Metal, 115 comments

“Since their inception, Portal’s outre take on death metal has been something of a curiosity; a malformed fetus suspended in sepia alcohol behind so many dusty artifacts. Few other artists have encroached on their sound, and even fewer can pretend to challenge their simultaneously dour and frenzied Victorian aesthetic. Theirs is horror music, to be sure, but the horror stems from a sort of noir psychedelia, an all-encompassing fractal unrest where the creak of the floorboards and the crack of colliding planets are indistinguishable in scope.” The cake is a lie.

Bell Witch – Mirror Reaper Review

By Dr. Wvrm on October 21, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Doom Metal, Profound Lore Records, Reviews, 102 comments

“Following the sudden death of former drummer Adrian Guerra, bassist Dylan Desmond and drummer/organist Jesse Shreibman wrestled with shock and despair, as well as doubt over the future of Bell Witch. Their conclusion that “if [they] were going to go on, it had to be something remarkable” is evident throughout Mirror Reaper. Pulling off an 84-minute single track opus is about as remarkable as it gets.” C’mon Mary….

Loss – Horizonless Review

By Madam X on May 23, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Profound Lore Records, Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 54 comments

“It’s been said that “when the gods want to punish you, they answer your prayers.” I first came upon Loss and their brand of unrelenting funeral death-doom back in 2011 when Steel matched wits against the almighty Despond. Prior to this, I’d never been exposed to anything that sounded so grudgingly drawn out or so full of crushing personal failure. It mesmerized me! Not the funeral doom genre itself, but rather the arresting approach specifically promulgated by Loss. It’s been six years since Despond, and lo and behold, Loss are gifting us with a new experience aptly titled Horizonless.” Feel the pain of Loss.

Artificial Brain – Infrared Horizon Review

By Kronos on April 20, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Profound Lore Records, Progressive Death, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 82 comments

“With the release of Labyrinth Constellation in 2014, New York’s Artificial Brain won themselves an immediate following of fans and critics alike, myself included. With a shudder and a scream, Labyrinth Constellation pulled me by the throat out into a borderless realm of cavernous sci-fi horror as bizarre as it was enticing. The album managed to feel vast without losing the down-to-earth grit of death metal, and even among other Gorguts-influenced groups, Artificial Brain had created a unique sound and a fantastic debut. Following that up will be difficult.” Upgrade or system error?

Ash Borer – The Irrepassable Gate Review

By Dr. Wvrm on December 8, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Black Metal, Profound Lore Records, Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, 16 comments

“I will admit off the bat that I did not know what I was walking into with Ash Borer. They were a random pick, as our promo sheet is currently blacker than an Ad Reinhardt ten-part series on being born blind. I missed the boat on the so-called “Cascadian black metal” scene after several unsatisfying jaunts with Wolves in the Throne Room, but I’m down to see what all the hype is about.” Hype can truly be a bore.

Worm Ouroboros – What Graceless Dawn Review

By Steel Druhm on November 30, 2016 in 2016, Ambient Metal, American Metal, Doom Metal, Folk Metal, Gothic Metal, Not Metal, Profound Lore Records, Reviews, Doom Metal, Not Metal, 24 comments

“The San Francisco music scene is nothing if not creative. With oddball acts like Hammers of Misfortune, Vhöl and Slough Feg calling the area home, creativity is in abundant supply. Worm Ouroboros is yet another off-kilter act providing local color to the Bay Area, lesser known but no less interesting. The brain-trust of Lorraine Rath and Jessica Way, the band’s unique blend of dark ambient goth-rock, doom and neo-folk is as interesting as it is offbeat.” Bay Area goth-waves are rising.