Bolt Thrower used to say that in a world of compromise, some don’t. They may not exist anymore, but that sentence bears truth to it these days as it did back then. The world of music evolves and in it the world of metal evolves as well, yet not always in a positive direction and those spoken-about compromises are apparent, here and there.
Having said that, a ton of bands stand defiant against the current. One of these bands is USA’s Profanatica.
Their brand of religion-hating, truth-spitting music is as raw and hard as it was in the 90’s and if you’re a man of the cloth, you probably want to stay away from the band’s latest album, “Crux Simplex”.

Almost two minutes pass until “Condemned to Unholy Death” begins with its hard-hitting rhythm, when the repetitive snare work dictates the bombardment of ones’ ear. Aside from the drum work, Paul Ledney (who is also the only current original member) also hurls his throaty vocals into the microphone and they are memorable as ever to anyone who ever listened to the band. “The First Fall” is another riff-filled ceremony that shows off the band’s genre of extreme metal and how much such a sound is sometimes being missed by dozens of other acts, exactly as is the case with the heinous “Meeting of a Whore” which serves a more traditional 90s approach to the guitar works, successfully adding itself to the gallery of relentless works of the American group over the years.

Now, if this wasn’t clear by now, Profanatica aren’t exactly Sunday Church goers but in comparison to other black/death acts, the band goes into the gritty borderline violent madness that is religion and they are the answer, as titles like “Wipe the Fucking Face of Jesus” or “Cunts of Jerusalem” proves time and again.
Fuck trying to be esoteric and talk about deities and forests; this is a direct assault on your god(s) and his lies, where the harsh stomach-piercing guitars and guttural vocals are the bulk of the force . Won’t have it any other way, if I’m honest.

Similarities to previous albums of the band, such as “Thy Kingdom Cum” or “Profanatitas de Domonatia” are of course there, but it does seem that the material/creativity does reach a certain peak with the new album and although you know what you’re going to get, it feels much less monotonous than before.
No need to worry, as it’s still and always will be raw and meaty as hell, high-fiving that exact feeling that is missing with so many other bands these days. Just pay a listen to “Division of Robes”, a massive six and-something minutes work of pure hate that kicks one in the face, while swiftly interchanging between high octane to sludgy parts that make the Popes’ skin crawl.

To summarize, Profanaticas new album is not only good, it slaps (the face of a priest) hard enough to stand proud between all of the bands other works over the years, and maybe even outshine them.

Rating: 8/10
Release Date: September 2023
Label: Season of Mist

Tracklist:

1. Condemned to Unholy Death
2. Take Up the Cross
3. The First Fall
4. Meeting of a Whore
5. Compelled by Romans
6. Wipe the Fucking Face of Jesus
7. The Second Fall
8. Cunts of Jerusalem
9. The Third Fall
10. Division of Robes