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De Profundis – The Corruption of Virtue

de profundis – the corruption of virtue

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It would appear that I’m a little late to the party for ‘The Corruption of Virtue’, the sixth studio album by UK Death Metal band De Profundis. released last year through the always prolific Indian label Transcending Obscurity Records, ‘The Corruption of Virtue’ has already garnered a significant amount of reviews and feedback from both fans and critics alike from the world over. Entertaining reading they have made too, with particular emphasis made by many to the technicality of this new opus, the higher standard of musicianship coming from the whole band, and lots of special mentions to the bass player Steve Woodcock who has been let loose in tremendous fashion on this album. So now I guess it’s my turn to cast my vote, to lay down my thoughts on ‘The Corruption of Virtue’ and what it brings to the UK Death Metal equation.

Cards firmly on the table, I’ve never been a De Profundis fan. Nor have I been one of their detractors either; its just that their music has never really resonated with me. For reasons unknown to me, whether they be a changing of the guard in my own personal taste, or maybe ‘The Corruption of Virtue’ is just a far better album than previous efforts, but on repeated listening this offering has opened itself up to me gradually and has now bestowed upon me its myriad gifts.

De Profundis are a band who like to progress massively in terms of their sound; starting life as they did being a Death/Doom entity before embarking on a period of Death Metal with a decidedly Black Metal influence. From there the thought process simplified and the output became nastier and more solely Death Metal focused. Sitting in the hear and now of 2023, listening to this 2022 released album, it is hard to deny the massively Technical Death Metal overtures that have not so much as crept in, but have manhandled their way into ‘The Corruption of Virtue’.

Simply put, the musicianship on display is flawless, and the tightness and cohesion between each of the five De Profundis members, four of which have been in the band and playing together since 2014, is a hard quality to deny. The previously mentioned Mr Woodcock on bass only joined the ranks last year but my oh my did they let him loose early. His rumbling bass leads, savagely technical solos and general badassery are all rampant throughout ‘The Corruption of Virtue’ and the album is a far more fun offering because of it. That is enough focussing on one man though, for the rest of the band more than play their part, from the brutal riffs and mesmerizing guitar rhythms of Soikot Sengupta and Paul Nazarkardeh which enlighten and absorb the further the album wanders, to the powerful and often brutal drumming display of Tom Atherton who has the dexterity and thoughtfulness to build anticipation when required, bludgeon often but always lead the band with almost effortless grace. Vocalist Craig Land has a ravenous and seemingly endless energy when it comes to his growled, hostility laced style; and why not when his lyrics focus religion and the hypocrisy and absurdity that it stands for, but also the lethal consequences that proceed it.

An unbelievable album that gets better and more powerful with each repeat listen. My favourite track is ‘Desecrating Innocence’ though in truth its damned hard to choose one from these intoxicating nine tracks that glide by quickly and demand to be experienced repeatedly.

Transcending Obscurity Records

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