Years Active: 1993 - present (18 years)
Genre: Gothic Metal (early), Death/Doom (early), Gothic Rock (mid and later career)
Origin; Germany
Label: Napalm Records
Current Line-Up: Oliver Nikolas Schmid (guitars), Rob Vitacca (vocals), Tony Berger (guitars), Korl Fuhrmann (drums)
You guys might think, based on a first impression, that this band is actually a H.I.M. or The 69 Eyes or Sentenced rip-off. I do agree a little bit but only when it comes to looks and some specific musically traits. Lacrimas Profundere, same like the bands I mentioned above plays a gothic rock style which unlike other genres, it does not bring much differences. The style is sort of monotone, the bands even though they emerged early or later, you can feel that they are the same but at the same time you cannot call them rip-offs. If musically they feel the same, story wise, it does not.
Lacrimas Profundere in their early years were playing a more underground metal style. Gothic metal and Death/Doom metal were the genres that they played during their early albums, changing later to a genre that brought them fame, gothic rock.
I don't want to make comparisons between H.I.M. and LP but, if I were to, I would say that I dun like H.I.M. as much as I enjoyed LP. LP has that little something that H.I.M. does not have, they manage to convey their feelings through the story portrayed in the songs. They name their genre "rock 'n sad" mainly because the main themes they use for their songs are sorrow, love, sadness, melancholy, ups and downs of couple life, betrayal, everything that enters within the meaning of the word sad, characterizes the style of LP.
By far, the masterminds behind this extraordinary band are the Schmid brother, Oliver and Christopher. However, after the release of their 8th studio album "Filthy Notes for Frozen Hearts", Christopher left the band dew to stage-induced stress however he continued to be the lyricist for the band. Between 2005 and 2007, Oliver replaced all of the former band members coming up with a completely new line-up, having Rob Vitacca as the front man.
Rob Vitacca's style of singing is slightly different but not by far from what Christopher had. "Songs for the Last View" reminds us of the old Sisters of Mercy albums when they were at the peak of their glory. With melancholic sounds and atmospheric influences, this album proved to be worth listening at least and quite enjoyable.
The album begins with the pulse of a heartbeat and ends the same way. The concept of this album is based on the life of a rockstar. To be more specific, it resembles the moment when all your life become like a movie, when you are giving your last breath. We all know from other people that when you are having your last moments of being alive, all the things you've done in your life will come to your mind. I described it as a fast movie. However, if you want to know the end of it, don't worry, the protagonist will be revived during the last track of the album "While".
It's kind of unusual for me to start a review with the last song of the album, but I think I had to. It begins with an intro called "The Last View" which sets the stage for the next song called "A Pearl" which also features a video. We rarely hear female voices in LP's songs but fortunately, this album features a female voice in the 3rd track "The Shadow I once Kissed".
All of their songs represent a passage or a chapter of the story. The 4th track, "Veins" features an amazing guitar solo while the 5th song "We Shouldn't Be Here" has a more electronic influence which can be heard at the beginning of the song. But only at the beginning because after that it is shattered with explosive guitar and drum solos which in my opinion, makes it one of the best songs this album has.
The 6th track "And God's Ocean" is in my opinion, the best track from this album and maybe, the best track that they could come up in all of their works. Unlike the other songs, this one is a ballad and it also features a video. This song is superbly creating a melancholic atmosphere combined with the anger which can be felt throughout the lyrics.
"Suicide Sun" the 7th track of the album talks about compromises and sacrifices that a couple can encounter in life while "Dear Amy" the 8th track is like a cruel respond to the one that could not comprehend the efforts and feelings conveyed through the 7th track of the album.
"A Dead Man", the 9th track of this album depicts the condition of a man that had his love denied. This is the second ballad from this album and it features mainly vocals and keyboards.
"Sacrificial Lamb" and "Lullaby for a Weeping Girl" follows the same pattern that the other songs depicted while being a lot more heavier in style. "While", the last track represents the synthesis of this album combining distorted guitar riffs with melancholic piano solos and Wurm's drum beats and also Rob's clean vocals.
In conclusion, "Songs For the Last View" like any other album has pluses and minuses. Even though the death/doom or gothic metal style that they played a long time ago is long gone, I am satisfied the way LP is right now. I dislike the fact that growls are missing in this album which makes the clean vocals feel monotone from time to time. Some songs are way too similar with each other but it is compensated with splendid works such as A Pearl, We Shouldn't Be Here, And God's Ocean or Sacrificial Lamb.
It is not a masterpiece of this genre without a doubt, but rather an album that appeals to ears and hearts of all sorts. It is not an extreme bands nor an extreme genre so it's unlikely that this album will not make it outside of its own borders. What I like about it is that the spirit of Lacrimas Profundere is present throughout this album, despite the fact that they changed style and members many times. One thing I hate about is the kind of guys that complain about the current state of the band and compare it with their earlier works. An album in my opinion should not be compared with others but should be judged by its current state otherwise, minuses or pluses can be found easily while forgetting that in essence this is the same LP that we have known. Lets not forget, music is an art, not a game of tastes or a duel between past and present.
Note: This album features 4 Bonus Limited Edition Digipack Tracks.
Overall: 7.5
Track Listing:
| 1. | "The Last View" | 0:56 | ||
| 2. | "A Pearl" | 3:00 | ||
| 3. | "The Shadow I Once Kissed" | 3:22 | ||
| 4. | "Veins" | 2:47 | ||
| 5. | "We Shouldn't Be Here" | 3:32 | ||
| 6. | "And Gods Ocean" | 5:37 | ||
| 7. | "Suicide Sun" | 3:51 | ||
| 8. | "Dear Amy" | 3:05 | ||
| 9. | "A Dead Man" | 3:58 | ||
| 10. | "Sacrificial Lamb" | 5:12 | ||
| 11. | "Lullaby for a Weeping Girl" | 3:31 | ||
| 12. | "While" | 5:15 |
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