The Bolivians Lachrima Corphus Dissolvens were already mentioned here on the occasion of the split album The Call to Silence with Abigorum and Until My Funerals Began; we find them again in this long Ep with which the good ideas highlighted at that juncture are further developed. As mentioned, the band from La Paz re-proposes a form of death doom that takes its cue from the first 90s bands devoted to these sounds, at a time when the separation between melodic or classical cues and extreme outbursts was quite clear, even within the single tracks. Probably, it is precisely this that turns out to be both the strength and the weakness of the proposal: in fact, those who lived through that musical epic in real time will appreciate the revivalist tones of the work and they will be more inclined to overlook some naivety or faintheartedness that is too much. Lachrima Corphus Dissolvens have a twenty-year history and much of their activity dates back to the first decade of the century, the period in which their only full length was published; led by the two founding members Antonio Ortiz (vocals) and Beyson Gibson (guitars), in recent years the band has regained good momentum, showing a certain propensity for melodic and mournful passages thanks to skilful lead guitar work, but, in my opinion, without fully exploiting this possibility, indulging sometimes in a dilution of the sound in less incisive direction. The potential is considerable and the sincerity with which the subject matter is approached is appreciable, so that by making the proposal more linear and pruning it of those romantic gothic overtones allowed only to My Dying Bride and a few others, Lachrima Corphus Dissolvens have what it takes to produce a work in the near future that can be included without objection among those to be mentioned in the year-end balance sheets. Even now, however, this South American band deserves to be followed with interest on its path.

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