Profane Elegy – Herezjarcha
Release Date: 30th January 2026
Label: Self Released
Bandcamp
Genre: Melodic Black Metal, Black Metal, Progressive Black Metal, Doom Metal, Blackened Thrash.
FFO: Swallow The Sun, Mayhem, Enslaved, Woods Of Ypres, Emperor.
Review By: Rick Farley
Bangor Pennsylvania’s progressive black metal outfit Profane Elegy is set to release album number two, Herezjarcha. A harrowing descent into sound and symbolism, beaming with furious blackened atmosphere that’s far removed from genre limits or expectations. Bits of doom, thrash metal, progressive flourishes, and cleanly sung vocals further enhance the nastiness when the band goes full bore into the realm of razor sharp tremolo shredding and blast beats. A vile combination of inviting warmth and aggressive ugliness wrapped tightly into one.
So, a slight disclaimer, Profane Elegy is labelled mostly as black metal from the bit of research I did before choosing to review this record. I heard the single I Am and was immediately sold. A frenzied shot of blackened thrash with screechy, rasp filled screams as well as the occasional brutal gutturals. Bits of orchestration in the background sets the mood to mysterious and mystical adding depth to the pure assault. The track despite its ferocity is loaded with atmosphere adding well-thought-out doomy passages that give the impression of what the record overall is probably going to be like. This for the most part is true. However, upon pressing play on track one, And Then We Are Gone, I was greeted with tender cleans and soft ethereal atmosphere. For a brief minute I was confused, is this the same band? It’s honestly a little jarring. Well needless to say, the track does pick up to some blackened viciousness, but kind of reverts back and forth from gross bleakness to the melodic, floaty airiness. Truth be told it’s not a bad track by any means, but it does instantly reflect a disappointment in the opening track when you’re expecting something different. Maybe this wasn’t the best track to start the record with, or maybe I should have done more research, but in the end, I got over it. For the most part.
As My Heart Turns to Ash follows with skitzy, frenetic guitarwork that borders black metal, old school thrash, and doom metal. Its spidery riffs mixed with progressive soundscapes that loom, are as much crushing as they are skin crawling. Had this been the opener, the initial thought would have been reversed. Starting with what I thought was advertised and then leading to the unexpected genre blending. After a several mood changes, bellowing gutturals shake your bones, while lead guitars blister over huge swelling walls of chords, taking the track out like a leviathan crashing down destructively upon the cold dark waters. Solely, in my opinion, this track would have been much more impactful to the opening of the record. The savagery leads to radiancy.
Herezjarcha was produced by J Gulick and mastered/mixed by Kevin Antreassian (Backroom Studios). The record is trebly, sharp and has enough low end to sound fully fleshed out, the cleans are warm, and the harsh vocals sound like demons. Not much more you can ask for in terms of production.
While I didn’t immediately gel with this record completely, it does have plenty of disgusting black metal to please everyone’s dark little hearts. Truth be told, though, this sounds a little bit confused and could benefit from dialling it in a bit more. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be checking this out. These are skilled musicians with professionally written and executed songs. There is 100 percent an audience for this if you go into this with the proper knowledge.
(3 / 5)
