PROFANE BURIAL – Desolate Echoes Of Turmoil

vote
6.5

• Bands:
  PROFANE BURIAL
• Duration: 00:43:12
• Available from: 07/24/2026
• Label:

• These Hands Melt

The third album often materializes as an important chapter in a band's career; sometimes it represents the consecration (as well as the crystallization) of a certain sound or a certain way of approaching musical material, other times it represents a breaking point or a new departure, or even an evolution, whatever you want.
As regards the Norwegian symphonic black metallers Profane Burial, we can undoubtedly say that we find ourselves in the presence of a perfect example of the second case. Founded in 2013 and raised in the myth of the symphonic school of the Nineties which saw the British Cradle Of Filth and their Norse compatriots Dimmu Borgir as the absolute summits of the scene (also from a commercial point of view), without precluding the influence of the more modern derivatives of the genre such as those brought forward by acts such as Septicflesh and Carach Angren, Ours, after two albums rather well received by the public and critics such as “The Rosewater Park Legend” of 2018 and “My Plateau” of 2024, seem eager to broaden the horizons of their proposal, opening the doors to a more progressive approach to the material with the new full album here, the challenging “Desolate Echoes Of Turmoil”.

On the other hand, just listen to the incipit of the opener “Den Fortaptes Krønike” to realize how clear are the intentions of the trio composed of André Aaslie (guitar, bass, keyboards and orchestrations), Kjetil Ytterhus (vocals, keyboards, programming and orchestrations) and Bjørn Dugstad Rønnow (drums); it is in fact a guitar with decidedly modern connotations, divided into riffs on odd tempos and accompanied by melancholic arpeggios with veiled 'post-' references, that welcomes us to this new work by Profane Burial, which shortly thereafter definitively comes to life, dragging the listener into decidedly cinematic symphonic black metal territories, not far from paths already previously explored by the aforementioned Carach Angren.
The continuation of the piece sees our band engaged – in a sufficiently fruitful way – in the attempt to keep a tight grip on the mood of the composition in spite of a decidedly complex structural construct, marked by numerous changes in both tempo and dynamics. The result is a fairly interesting piece, although it lacks the spark capable of making it truly memorable, perhaps due to some modern hints that somewhat hinder the emotional continuity of the more leaden and old-school parts.

The subsequent “Prognostic Augural Obsolescence” and “Triumph Of Dreadful Aftermath” are responsible, at least in part, for reconciling the band with the fans of the 'old school' which, although not without 'prog' twists and some more modern aspects both in terms of the work of the guitars and that of keyboards and synths – one of the most marked traits of Profane Burial's new course – also see the band lighten a the audacity of the arrangements, relying on more tested solutions thanks to old-school openings of sure impact.
The remaining songs, namely the martial and cinematic “Channelig Epiphany”, the theatrical and modern “Horror Code Pt. 2” and the complex “Malicious Discomfort”, enriched by passages not far from math/djent suggestions which are actually rather difficult to assimilate, on an atmospheric level, do nothing other than reiterate how much the evident commitment made by our team during the composition, supported undoubtedly by first-rate technical skills, allowed them to produce a work that is certainly not devoid of points of interest (especially if you are one of those enthusiasts who do not turn up their noses at the most daring solutions or the most modern derivatives of the genre), which however finds its greatest limitation in the lack of sufficiently catchy or 'simply' ingenious moments capable of making the compositions truly effective; a significant limitation, if we consider the average complexity of the songs present here, capable of making this lack even more evident.

Summing up, this “Desolate Echoes Of Turmoil” therefore turns out to be an album capable of offering some undoubtedly intriguing passages, especially after repeated listening, but the general impression is that Profane Burial is still missing something to find the squaring of the circle in this new phase of their journey, especially with regards to the ability to really hit the listener's imagination deeply.