Lacrimas Profundere

Fusing goth rock and dark metal, catchy hooks and soulful melodies, Filthy Notes for Frozen Hearts is a persuasive expression of gritty 21st century gloom. Without straying far from the blueprint Lacrimas Profundere have established over the last several records, the band’s latest simultaneously owes more to its influences and covers more ground. Lacrimas’s distinctive keyboard lines sink deeper into the mix here, giving way to crunchier guitars and thick background vocals, which contribute to the record’s heaviest and its softest sections. "Again It’s Over,” "Sweet Caroline” and "To Love Her On Knees” are instantly memorable, but some of the other tracks take a bit longer to seep into the brain. What the record lacks in consistency it makes up for in depth — Filthy Notes for Frozen Hearts is many-layered and multi-dimensional, endearing but not entirely irresistible.