Band:	Profundae Libidines
Album:	Evangelium Secundum Matthaeum
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	June 01, 2011
A review by:	Daniell

01. Domine, salvum fac pontificem nostrum leonem
02. Matt. 4 (La tentation de Jésus)
03. Matt. 5 (Le vrai bonheur)
04. Matt. 5 (La mission des douze)
05. Matt. 15 (Les choses qui rendent un homme impur)
06. Matt. 26 (L'arrestation de Jésus)
07. Matt. 26 (Pierre renie Jésus)
08. Matt. 27 (Jésus est condamné à mort)
09. Matt. 27 (Jésus est cloué sur la croix)
10. Matt. 27 (La mort de Jésus)
11. Matt. 28 (La résurrection de Jésus)
12. Hostias et preces

When I took a look at the cover of Evangelium Secundum Matthaeum I was sure it was a death metal album. Indistinct band logo, a disgusting picture - death or grindcore. Nice way to mislead potential listeners. Profundae Libidines is a black metal project of one Philoxera. He apparently played all string instruments, composed all that stuff, and invited lots of vocalists to handle the mic aspect.

So what do we have here? The intro and the outro sound like some French love songs from before World War II, sung by a lovelorn lady at night. Apart from those two pieces, you know what to expect. It's pretty generic black metal, usually midtempo, with fast blasting parts here and there, properly extreme vocal performances, and a healthy dose of frantic tremolo picking. The production is appropriately abrasive and muffled, but without overdoing it, so the music is still adequately clear. Too bad that all the songs are quite boring. I often caught myself checking how much time there was left till the next track. But the next track didn't get any better, so listening to this album enough times to do a review was quite an ordeal. Even the fact that almost every songs has a different vocalist doesn't help - most of them are trying to rip their throats out, and in a very annoying way too. What could be the album's saving grace is another nail in its coffin - vocals are fucking terrible.

Did I say a healthy dose of tremolo picking? If only that picking was just slightly memorable, or catchy, or ominous, or original. Nothing like that. It's insanely irritating most of the time. How long can you withstand the sound of a chainsaw? I had to listen to it for 50 minutes five times. Next time I see a chainsaw, I will murder whoever carries it, shouting "Profundae Libidines!". I think I'll keep repeating the band's name even in the courtroom. I just hope they won't sentence me to mandatory listening to Profundae Libidines...