LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE continue their journey of gothic melancholy with "Hope Is Here". Musically, it's quite different to "Antidore", their previous album, which had more aggression. While a change in style isn't necessarily a bad thing, it can be tricky to pull off.

Adding to the difficulty of pulling off a style variation, the band has opted to go for a concept album this time around. The story revolves around a little boy who's been abandoned in the woods because he's different to others. The mood of the album is suitably depressive given the subject matter, but by the end of the album I had gotten restless. It dragged on a little bit too long. There were still some gems on the back half of the album though, most notably "You, My North", "Awake" and "Timbre".

I feel somewhat ambivalent about the move to a less aggressive sound on this album. To my ears, the music on "Hope is Here" has a hint doom metal metal in most of its tempos, and doom metal is something I enjoy. Nonetheless, there are multiple elements to enjoy on this album, such as Rob Vitacca's vocal performance. He has an ability to carry huge, emotion-filled choruses, and his style works well for an album in this genre. There are some memorable leads and riffs from Oliver Nikolas Scmid and Tony Berger, on both electric and acoustic guitars. The guys add interest to their playing with some counter-melodies that are subtle or more overt at times. "Aramis" has some engaging riffs in the chorus, and "Timbre" has some beautiful acoustic riffs in the intro.

In comparison to their previous album, there are definitely more slow and mid-tempo tracks, almost to the point of overabundance. These tempo choices are wisely offset by faster numbers such as "A Million Miles" and "Awake". Otherwise the album may have turned into somnolent wandering through a forest. Perhaps the dialed-back tempos don't always give the space for Schmid and Berger to create actual riffs. While they're good at communicating a somber atmosphere with their minimalist playing and melodic soundscapes, said atmosphere got a bit much at times.

This album isn't a write-off by any means, and would make a good accompaniment to a lonely winter's day. There were some enjoyable cuts here, which have had notable staying power. While bands needn't write the same album over and over, there is something to be said for retaining the vibrancy of previous work while exploring different directions.