Review by Sandre the Giant
The work of Poznan’s Profeci has been intense and to the point in their short career thus far, but these Polish black metallers haven’t been afraid to mix it up a little too. Their new record, ‘Ubóstwo’, is out now through Godz Ov War, and that label has provided much in their country’s recent histoy of black metal quality.
Opener ‘Stare stworzenia’ feels very straightforward to start, but there is a deft sense of nuance within the song; the timing changes at brief moments, the melodies lurk within a traditional framework but there is a definite sense of maturity and purpose here. ‘Jaskinie’ is a little more measured, there are points where slower sections ache with hopelessness and the cascading blastbeats propel everything else. You’d almost argue at times that ‘Ubóstwo’ is a post black metal record, or an atmospheric one, or even a depressive one. The key to all of those potential tags is the BLACK METAL part. Those little bits may influence here and there but at the core this is black metal. ‘Jedność wielości’ is my favourite piece here, a slightly dissonant work of sleek obsidian, full of those moments where ferocity meets fragility. There are gorgeous melodious guitar leads through ‘Bez niej byłbym niczym’, while the furious ‘Głód’ maintains that dark aura without compromising their core style.
Delicacy isn’t a term you’d often use to describe black metal, but there are times during ‘Ubóstwo’ when that is definitely appropriate. Profeci give their black metal a sense of fragility in places, where just the slightest of pressures will crack it open like black glass shattering. At others, it is as solid and unyielding as iron. This makes ‘Ubóstwo’ an intriguing listen, and a worthy addition to their back catalogue as well as their homeland’s black metal legacy.
https://www.facebook.com/profeci.band/
https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/ub-stwo
https://godzovwar.com/shop/en/
The Killchain 