apanthropy

“What’s present on this newest EP is the addition of deeply guttural vocals, various composition and arrangement changes uncommon to the Profanatica formula of late, and some more expressive songwriting in terms of riff crafting.“

Profanatica
Wreathed in Dead Angels
Hell’s Headbangers Records
Released: 4/25/25

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1 – Hung in Golgotha
2 – The Sixth Hour
3 – Descent from the Cross
4 – The Entombment
5 – Wreathed in Dead Angels
6 – By Thine Agony
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Profanatica are legends of the American black metal scene, having been established and active since 1990, releasing a series of well-regarded demos as well as the Weeping in Heaven EP. Splitting up around 1992 and reforming around 2001, it would still be a matter of years before their first formal full-length, 2007’s Profanatitas de Domonatia, would be released. But since 2007, the band has been rather active in both new releases and touring.

Wreathed in Dead Angels is the band’s newest EP, featuring six songs spread over 21 minutes, and is surprisingly expressive for a Profanatica release, which are often straightforward black metal with no garnishes and no fat. What’s present on this newest EP is the addition of deeply guttural vocals, various composition and arrangement changes uncommon to the Profanatica formula of late, and some more expressive songwriting in terms of riff crafting.

‘Hung in Golgotha’ is business as usual for the band. The constant near-mechanical pounding of Paul Ledney’s drums coupled with skin-crawling riffing that’s mostly composed of a central snaking single-note tremolo-picked melodies offset with dissonant phrasing and sinister chord progressions. The tempos vary from full on crushing fury to slower more measured segments of ugly refrain.

Where things get genuinely interesting is the second track, ‘The Sixth Hour,’ which features an almost doom-death introductory segment. Chorus sections are pounding hell with Ledney’s signature vocals ranging from crass bark to strangulated and strained. Gutturals show themselves roaring above a cyclical riff about two-thirds of the way through the song.

‘Descent from the Cross’ plays with more rancor and vigor than most modern death metal can produce with a hugely dark chord progression opening the song. Ledney’s vocal work ranges from deep guttural to high strangulated rasps, with the gutturals standing out as superb, ugly, and demanding. Slightly before the two-minute mark, the rhythm takes off into an almost punk style beat for a small bridge. Again, simple tweaks to the conventional formula of the band can pay huge dividends, as it is doing here.

‘The Entombment’ merges classic-sounding Profanatica with very small additions to the structure to really make it pop and stand out. The rhythm change at the forty second mark is another example of tweaking the conventional structure to create something of more interest.

The title track is another ripping example of multi-faceted vocals, rhythmic changes, and ugly dissonant riffing. There are some subtle keyboards present towards the last one third of the track, an avenue of sound that has been showing up with greater intensity in later releases.

Ending the EP is ‘By Thine Agony,’ another cut full of rhythmically driven carnage, with rhythms ranging from pure pounding to death and roll. Half-time segments smash the listener under the weight of pure Hell. Off-kilter riffing accents the atmosphere of the track, creating something akin to pure dark death metal.

The production on the album really captures the full range of the riffing, from incredibly deep low-end chord slams to the higher register tremolo lines, the full range is captured very well here. There is enough bass guitar presence to anchor the whole thing, especially at times where the guitars are off playing a dissonant line in a higher register. Ledney’s drums are frontal, with a great bass drum and snare tone. His cymbal work, which has continued to improve with each release, continues to provide great accents to his playing. It may seem like a small detail, but it is a detail worth noting.

The vinyl presentation is also something worthy of note. The 700 piece first pressing on milky-clear with black and white bleach marbling is simply gorgeous. The silk screen imaging on the blank B side is spectacular. This is the edition worth tracking down, in my opinion.

Overall, this is a small evolutionary step for Profanatica. Musically, it may be a small step, but given the band’s consistent, unwavering style of pounding black metal, small changes are huge in these scenarios. The production is perfect, and the presentation is something a lot of bands can learn something from. Profanatica fans, pick this one up.

Label: Hell’s Headbangers Records
Band: Profanatica

AJK

Read our review for 2023’s Crux Simplex here.