Profetus - As All Seasons Die (2014) Hi-Res

As All Seasons Die is the third full length album from Profetus, the Finnish funeral doom metal outfit from Tampere. If you've previously listened to the band's minimalistic and melancholic take on funeral doom, As All Seasons Die will not surprise you in the least, as it sounds like the natural successor of 2012's ...to Open the Passages in Dark. If you haven't, then prepare yourself for a slow and plodding wall of sound, rounded off with haunting organs, atmospheric keys and crushing power chords.

The entirety of As All Seasons Die is slow and trudging: really, what funeral doom band isn't? What really sets Profetus apart from most of the scene, though, is the abject air of melancholic beauty and melodic undertones. Rather than the oppressively cavernous and bottom dredging sound of many funeral doom acts, Profetus takes the same slow paces and molds them into serene tracks of immersive and introspective grandeur, similar to the output of contemporaries Skepticism and Mournful Congregation.

The album opens with a four minute introduction in the way of haunting organs and singularly strummed acoustic guitar chords. After setting the eerie and melancholy tone, the remaining three tracks go on to smother you with the weight of their very existence. Slow paced yet crushingly heavy and emotive power chords ply over sullen waters of atmospheric orchestrations. Distorted melodies are interjected as the drums sparsely wash over with slow waves of crashing cymbals and plodding snare strikes. While the vocals are the most sparse part of the album, they mostly focus on drawn own, stone-throated bellows, but there are a few moments where a distant, clean voice can be heard; almost like a spoke word segment, but it's resonant and haunting.

Basically, after the introduction the album crawls along through three long players, never really changing from the trudging, slow pace they've chosen. This album is best suited to a quiet evening of introspection as the harrowing paces and melancholic beauty will continuously lap at your senses. There are moments that begin to lift away from the downtrodden soundscape, like the smooth guitar solo during “Dead Are Our Leaves of Autumn”, but it never detracts from the melancholic beauty exuded by the rest of the music.

Fans of modern funeral doom would do well to check out As All Seasons Die. The rest of the band's back catalog is lauded for its melancholic and serene take on an otherwise dreadful and cavernous sound. If you're into the style of Mournful Congregation and Skepticism, Profetus should be right up your alley. As All Seasons Die is stark, introspective and hauntingly beautiful.