Review by Allan on July 25, 2003.

Lacrimas Profundere as a band has been maturing since they first debuted on the scene in 1995 with "...And The Wings Embraced Us." Throughout their musical journey they struggled with finding a sound of their own, and many of their albums were deemed as a poor man's Anathema ("The Silent Enigma" era), and were said to have too much in common with other English doom acts My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost.

Lacrimas Profundere has, however, been making a progression with each release, and their third release for Napalm Records, "Fall, I Will Follow," while not wholly original, is a big step for the band. They're now putting away the tendencies they once had to follow to closely in the footsteps of those before them. They've now been able to fall more comfortably into a sound that is more of their own, which in this case is in the vein of gothic/doom rock, along the lines of the latest Sentenced.

Lacrimas Profundere's main goal seems to be about writing depressive, melancholic music. To be honest, "Fall, I Will Follow" really doesn't accomplish that particular task. The excellent opener 'For Bad Times' is in fact strangely uplifting in a gloomy sort of way, however, not in a melancholic way, if that makes any sense. The rest of the album isn't as uplifting as the opener, but Lacrimas Profundere really never takes the step into the depths of emotional instability and depressiveness that they were reaching for.

That is not necessarily a bad thing. "Fall, I Will Follow" may not be the obsessively morose album that some people would hope for, but it does offer some absolutely great moments. Lacrimas Profundere really has a steady handle on how to write a song. Their composing abilities are very good, which in turn keeps these rock songs in check. They're not afraid to let the music breathe a little, and they don't constrain themselves with anything too predictable. The music is very guitar driven, going back and forth from the somewhat gloomy moments to the more melodic goth-rock style. They also throw in some beautiful moments with the piano and a few other welcome surprises along the way.

Bottom Line: It's difficult to find a goth rock album from a band that can balance the music with good songwriting and a sense of atmosphere and emotion. If this is your kind of thing, Lacrimas Profundere is a fair bet to make if you're looking for quality.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 7
Originality: 6
Overall: 6.5

Rating: 6.9 out of 10