CoC : Profanum - Musaeum Esotericum : Review

Profanum - _Musaeum Esotericum_
(Koch, 2001)
by: Brian Meloon (9 out of 10)

Poland's Profanum return from the dead with their third release, following on the heels of their black metal debut _Flowers of Our Black Misanthropy_ and their brilliant black-metal-without-guitars follow-up _Profanum Aeternum: Eminence of Satanic Imperial Art_. This release has much the same style as their second album, but shows them developing and expanding their ideas and incorporating some industrial elements. It features two epic-length tracks, which total 38 minutes. The songs generally consist of layered keyboards and/or drums, and feature a wide variety of tempos and styles. The vocals are generally either distorted or spoken (in Latin?). The music runs the gamut from soothing to bombastic and everywhere in between, flowing smoothly throughout the album. The heaviest sections feature pounding drums and distorted, screamed vocals, with aggressive keyboard parts that would sound right at home in a black metal song. While this isn't a metal album, it certainly is intended for a metal audience. The only band I've heard doing a similar style is Elend, but Profanum's music is much less gothic, and generally more aggressive and involved. This is highly recommended for fans of the avant-garde black metal.

(article published 19/10/2001)