The first album after the departure of main composer Csaba Vedres actually turned out to be quite impressive, and is another solid addition to the group's high quality back catalog. De Profundis proceeds with many of the same ideas of the previous three albums, emotinal compositions and solemn symphonic emphasis, complemented by the usual barrage of stark, churning cellos and powerful horns. However, it does manage to carve out its own niche in After Crying's body of work, adding an even more cinematic scope and sense of grandeur, due more perhaps to its 70 minute playing length than actual musical differentiation. Though the album, I feel, lacks the same haunting atmosphere and unique beauty of Megalázottak és Megszomorítottak, it also dumps the rather unnecessary ELP-isms of the first side of Föld és ég, coming closest in style to the second half of that album. That is, a number of solo and chamber pieces for various instruments arranged as separate tracks sequenced back to back throughout the album, occasionally interspersed with an epic band composition such as "Stalker" or the title track. Fear not any sense of discontinuity though, as the band successfully integrates the seemingly disparate elements, such as a chamber piece followed by tasteful electric guitar soloing, into a flowing and integrated whole. A deft compositional touch is certainly applied, making the moments where they entire group comes in with vocals and orchestral flair eminently satisfying.
Apparently, De Profundis functions as some sort of concept album, though it is obviously beyond my capacity to interpret. Vocals do seem more prominent than on any other After Crying album I've heard, though they are certainly far from any kind of focal point. Funnily enough, this album took quite a few listens to grow on me, and I initially found it far inferior to any of their previous works (as some of my other AC reviews might indirectly reflect). Having listened to it quite a bit recently, I'm finding it hard to see what it was I didn't like about it, save for the rather excessive length and occasional dragging passage. Even the length issue has become less and less of a problem as I've gradually absorbed the subtleties of the album. I'd probably go so far as to claim De Profundis as vying for second place with Overground Music in the band's catalog. Though not a seminal classic of the same magnitude of Megalázottak és Megszomorítottak, De Profundis is clearly among the top symphonic releases of the 90s. - Greg Northrup [September 2001]
01. Bevezetes (3:39) 02. Modern Idok (7:36) 03. Az Ustokos (1:43) 04. Stalker (12:12) 05. Stonehenge (4:34) 06. Kulvarosi Ej (3:34) 07. Manok Tanca (5:00) 08. Kifulladasig (5:18) 09. De Profundis (11:29) a) Eras... b) Non est via c) "Jecisti me in profund..." d) Ego sum via, veritas et via 10. Jonas Imaja (2:24) 11. Elveszett Varos (1:56) 12. Kisvasut (2:03) 13. Eskuszegok (8:13) 14. 40 Masodperc (0:40) 15. A Vilag Vegen (3:41)
- Gabor Egervari / flute, voice - Lazlo Gacs / drums, percussion - Tamas Gorgenyi / lead vocals - Peter Pejtesik / bass, cello, lead vocals, vocals - Ferenc Torma / guitars, synthesizer, vocals - Balazs Winkler / keyboards, trumpet
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