Practically every progressive rock band wants to record their own version of Tales from Topographic Oceans, the 1974 double album that was praised—or vilified, depending on the listener’s caprice—as Yes’ finest hour (and twenty minutes) of prog-indulgence. The fact that Yes weathered the loss of keyboardist nonpareil Rick Wakeman after its release and still came […]

2007s Eater of Birds was a watershed release for this Colorado duo, firmly putting them in the very forefront of USBM along the likes of Nachtmystium, Wolves in the Throne Room, and Krallice and the long awaited follow up, Gin will further cement the duo as one of the very best forward thinking, envelope shredding […]

Well, Profound Lore has done it again. This time finding a self described “English Heritage Black Metal” metal trio from the UK comprised of member of Atavist and Wodensthrone. I’ve often wondered, with our rich history, why there are not more UK bands (though Iron Age Records appears to have uncovered a few) plying metal […]

After a handful of demos and a 7″ release, The Devil’s Blood has finally issued its first proper CD release in the form of the 5-track EP Come, Reap. Coupling Bible verses, occult imagery and tales of substance abuse, sex and death, The Devil’s Blood is something of a unique animal. Musically, without putting too […]

Well, Profound Lore has done it again, uncovering another gem of a black metal record, this time from the depths of Cork, Ireland.Though cut from the same cloth as label mates Cobalt and Krallice, and with some similarities to the likes of Wolves in the Throne room, and to some extent, the new Withered, as […]

Return to the days of old… when enemies were crushed and driven before you, and the air was filled with the lamentation of the women. When manly, battle-scarred barbarians swung their six-strings and pummeled their wardrums. When bands like Brocas Helm, Cirith Ungol and Manilla Road mixed classic heavy metal, doom and a fascination for […]

I usually take the self generated press from label owners, PR folks and such for granted. Every PR person and label folk will tell me that the upcoming album from band X on their roster is amazing or brilliant. So when the folks at Profound Lore told me that the debut from Krallice would be […]

I stumbled upon Wold after Screech Owl was released last year. Out of curiosity, I opted to give them a listen. Judging by Profound Lore’s other artists, I expected something avant-garde and, well, profound. After all, this label houses some high quality acts, including Nadja, Alcest, Portal and Asunder. What came out of my speakers […]

As a stop gap between the magnificent Eater of Birds and the next full length album, Cobalt and Profound Lore offer up this oddly titled, limited edition, 3 track, 44-minute EP that delivers one new track, a Nausea cover and the uncut, full 30 minute version of “Ritual Use of Fire”, which was split up […]

Canada’s Profound Lore offers its official announcement concerning the signing of Ireland’s most promising outfit within extreme music, namely ALTAR OF PLAGUES. Already with a few notable self-released demos/EP’s within their repertoire, along with serving opening acts for MAYMEN and WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM on recent UK stints, Altar Of Plagues are gaining a […]

Repetition is the name of the game for Buffalo, NY’s Wrath of the Weak and their second album of bleak, dystopian and clinical one band basement black metal that’s as interesting as its cover art.  Sole member ‘J’, while certainly having a grasp of the requisite atonality, atmospheres and tenets of the genre, simply does […]

So after a string of utterly brilliant releases, Profound Lore seems to be on a bit of mini ‘whiff’ streak with Caina and this release, the new incarnation of former Thralldom/Unearthly Trance brainchild Killusion (Ryan Lipynsky). Less ambient and cosmic than Thralldom, The Howling Wind is a dirtier, thrashier, grimier set of songs, though a […]

So Profound Lore has made up for the recent Caina release with this draining slab of ultra sludge/doom from the UK’s Atavist-and folks imagine playing Iron Monkey’s Our Problem LP backwards and at half speed while having 3 tons of concrete poured on you, and you might be close to Atavist’s take on painfully crawling […]

Oh dear, it looks like Profound Lore’s recent streak of excellence (Portal, The Angelic Process, Alcest, Amber Asylum, Cobalt, Atavist) has finally come to an end with the release of the second album from this UK based, ambient one man black metal project. So this Andrew Curtiss-Brignell fellow has a quite a few demos and […]

There are very few bands that leave an indelible imprint on my psyche and move me to the point of tangible ‘uncomfortableness’. Australia’s Portal is one of those bands. While some may construe the band’s atonal, muddy and chaotic form of grimy death metal nothing more than structureless noise, I personally find the band’s material […]

The last release from this Colorado black metal duo, War Metal, was a fairly standard, and for Profound Lore average release of blackened, well….war metal. However with the follow up, Eater of Birds, Cobalt have made a Nachtmystium like transition from generic grim black metal to expansive, challenging, ambient and elite black metal and once […]

We all know that France has been responsible for some of the more extreme black metal, but what about the nicer side of things? Not black metal or even white or grey metal, lets call it ‘green’ metal. Plying a sprightly, uplifting form of acoustic heavy, folkish metal that seems to cull from the likes […]

With a few rare exceptions, Profound Lore generally pushes the extremes of whatever genre they release and deliver superb examples of anything they touch (Profundi, Wold, The Angelic Process, Alcest, Asunder, Cobalt, Nadja). And while, not ‘extreme’ per say, Amber Asylum’s fifth album, pushes the limits and boundaries of the neo-goth/classical genre with a simply […]

“Dear Profound Lore Records, Please submit $1256.56 to my bank account for the purchase of new speakers and stereo system as well as several visits to the ear doctor due to playing the new album from Georgia’s The Angelic Process. You see, after hardly being able to hear the opening strands of Weighing Souls With […]

The sound-manipulated painscapes of Wold are the proof for which black metal was merely the promise. (After all, even the most vicious black metal still just sounds like some dudes in a room playing music.) This is savagery as sound, or vicey-versey. Wold de(con)structs black metal into a robodemoniac thrum, at least as much Masonna […]

Doom album of ’06? Asunder ain’t exactly reinventing the steel, here, but God Hell, is this some good stuff. Taking the old-school funeral approach of Thergothon and Skepticism and injecting just enough melody to make it stick – without becoming the gothic mope-crawl of Shape of Despair or Saturnus (who I likewise dig, so save […]

Very superficially this could be described as Hellhammer simplified with samples, noise, electronic loops and droning guitars added. None of which is an improvement on the original. Thralldom hail from New York City and A Shaman Steering The Vessel of Vastness is their third full album. They claim to be dark death metal, more on […]