"The Rosewater Park Legend" is the debut album from PROFANE BURIAL, a new Symphonic Black Metal project from Norway. Founded in 2013 by Kjetil Ytterhus and André Aaslie, the aim was to merge cold Black Metal with epic and solemn orchestrations. The album contains seven tracks.

"The Tower Bell" is the opening track. As any good album should, it leads off slowly and builds suspense. You will hear strings, guitars and piano, and then furious Black Metal vocals over top of the thudding and galloping  kick drum. There is a pretty good balance here of Symphonic elements with more traditional Black Metal elements, and one doesn't dominate the other. "The Stench of Dying Roses (The Children's Song) is a nine minute opus. Not much about this song would be suitable for children, however (just joking around). It sounds more like a tale or fable that might be passed down to future generations. The diversity of delivery here is great, and they know when to hit accents for emphasis vs. letting a longer passage linger.

"The Soldier's Song" is just a bit shorter. Again, the Black Metal elements are in the driver's seat and the Symphonic elements are just riding shotgun and giving directions. Any more presence would probably drive out that nefarious sound that you want to hear in this genre. It has a solemn sound with ominous overtones. At under four minutes, "A Different Awakening (A Proclamation By The Priest)" is (mostly) in instrumental (with some spoken word) that does what they do best...connects two parts of the album with a pause that has insight into both the previous tracks, and looking forward to the next ones. Stalwart and intimidating, it makes a bold statement. "An Interlude (Or How The Curse of Rosewater Park Began)" is a seven minute harrowing track with high orchestration. You have to love French Horn. It is an absolutely majestic instrument that can be so calm on one end and so alarming at the other.

"The Letters" is similar in length, but a bit on the darker side. The Black Metal vocals have a strong presence, and guitar riff descending the scale deeper and deeper really push a haunting chill. Orchestration maintains a perfect ambiance in the background, and take over the final part of the song to completion. "The Tale The Witches Wrote" closes the album. It's a strong culminating track that uses a variety of different techniques in a swirl of malignant indignation. Overall, I found the album to be quite enjoyable. The key for me is the balance that the band used in the final mastering. Orchestration plays a fundamental role but does not take over, which is exactly what makes its use so well connected.