apanthropy

Profanatica
Crux Simplex
Season of Mist Underground Activists
Released: 9/22/23
Version Reviewed: 12″ LP. Crystal clear, red and blue. Limited edition of 400 copies.

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A1 – Condemned to Unholy Death
A2 – Take Up the Cross
A3 – The First Fall
A4 – Meeting of a Whore
A5 – Compelled by Romans
B1 – Wipe the Fucking Face of Christ
B2 – The Second Fall
B3 – Cunts of Jerusalem
B4 – The Third Fall
B5 – Division of Robes
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Profanatica, having been around for over three decades, represent one of the oldest black metal institutions in the US scene. Active as early as 1990, Profanatica released a series of now legendary demo tapes between 1990 and 1992, before going dormant until 2001. The first proper full-length whip strike from the band came in the form of 2007’s Profanatitas de Domonatia, and Profanatica has been consistently releasing albums since. Helmed by the legendary Paul Ledney, the formula behind the sound of the band has always rested squarely on his shoulders through his responsibilities on both vocals and drums. Despite multiple guitar players coming and going throughout the years, the band has always retained a very pronounced and signature sound. Their latest release, Crux Simplex, is a continuation of the classic Profanatica sound and atmosphere.

One thing Paul Ledney doesn’t get enough credit for is his ability to craft an atmosphere, which is evident at the beginning of the album with the intro segment on ‘Condemned to Unholy Death,’ which sounds purely demonic. The intro segment drops off and the band comes screaming in with a sawing single-note line, tightly packed in terms of interval spacing, and blasting drums. Huge downbeats smash the listener at the resolution of the first riff, serving to transition into a second riff of chromatic single-note grinding atop a stomping d-beat rhythm.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=HLNTViyj6hY%3Fsi%3DP212T2puL1DjDoEr

‘Take Up the Cross’ continues the riffcraft theme of chromatically tight single-note guitar lines, a signature to the Profanatica sound, and runs on a slightly slower rhythm than the previous track. Riffs play in a repetitious trance-like manner, with note changes tied perfectly to the steady rhythm of Ledney’s drumming, looping in discordant circles around the listener.

Not everything is played at a moderate tempo on Crux Simplex, tracks such as ‘Compelled by Romans,’ crawl at a glacial pace. The slow and brooding pacing of the track is made more dense and suffocating courtesy of the long-drawn out single-note sequences and crushing dissonant chords that ring out for a measure at a time combined with Ledney’s low and guttural vocal attack.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=AbM_xCo3DQU%3Fsi%3DkIh_U4FJ7kXsft1f

‘Wipe the Fucking Face of Jesus,’ strikes true to the post-demo era of the band with its short but ravenous attack, once again utilizing the spindly single-note tremolo riffing and trading off with massive chordal slabs.

‘Division of Robes,’ the album closer, starts off as a raging heavy hitter before switching to a formula similar to the previously mentioned ‘Compelled by Romans,’ slowing things down to a staggering, suffocating crawl while beating the listener with huge bass heavy downbeats and a drawn-out menacing chord progression where every individual chord hits like a hammer. Another ambient sequence closes the album proper.

The production on Crux Simplex isn’t anything that’s overcomplicated and fits very well to the music. With the primary utilization of single-note sequences as the main avenue of musical travel, every single note is perfectly clear sounding. The guitar tone is full-bodied and not a treble-heavy ear-piercing signal. There is an overall favorable low-end presence to the entire mix, a complete opposite to the near-cosmic sounding analog production of the band’s demo era. There is great tonality on ‘Crux Simplex.’

While this is in stark contrast to the material of the demo era, Crux Simplex is a worthy chapter in the post-demo era phase of the band, falling in line with the legacy of albums being forged since the 2007 debut. In terms of United States black metal, while this review is being written in 2024, Crux Simplex should have seen more favorability on AOTY lists for 2023, especially for black metal.

Label: Season of Mist Underground Activists
Band: Profanatica

AJK