Very rarely during my weekly trawls through the Metal Archives does an unknown black metal band impress me, but that’s exactly what Profeci have done with their third studio album Ubóstwo. A relatively unknown band from the Polish scene, they have a similar sound to bands such as Odraza and Deus Mortem (but without the sketchiness). Truth be told I did not know what to expect coming into this album, but this band gets going very quickly, with no real faffing about in terms of a pointless intro.
Many interesting sonic moments appear throughout the album, but one in particular stood out to me above all others: the third track “Jedność wielości” with its facsimile of a theme song from Elden Ring: the nomad merchant’s song the player character listens to when traversing the area underneath the Shunning Grounds. It’s incredibly bleak, and this track easily makes what is already a dark album even darker. I love when bands take adaptations of video game themes and transform them into their own styles while still keeping the original essence of what made the theme, much like what Sarmat did on their debut EP earlier in the year. Album closer “Dytyramb” is another highlight, bringing more Deus Mortem-isms into the mix. This track is perfect as a closer, and I come back to this one a lot due to the way vocalist Piołun spits fury. This record has some of the best vocals in the Polish black metal scene I’ve heard in a while, and are definitely a highlight of the entire performance.
This is not perfect, however, and “Bez niej byłbym niczym” is the weakest track of the bunch, but it is in no way a bad track. It seems more of a bridge between “Głód” and “Dytyramb” than anything else, but it does break up the unrelenting aggression well enough that I don’t want to skip this song. I absolutely recommend Ubóstwo, and will be keeping my eyes on the future of this extremely promising Polish act. Definitely give them a listen, as they are worth your time.
