De Profundis return with a new singer - and celebrate their 20th Anniversary in style

Sunday 22nd of February saw Death Metal outfit De Profundis descend upon The Junction in Plymouth for the final leg of their mini tour in celebration of their twenty years as a band, where they revisited defining moments from in their material whilst also marking the next chapter in their evolution, the most notable aspect being new vocalist Stefano Bassi from Post-Black Metallers Lunar Mercia as well as ex-Autopsia, ex-Havok, ex-Siberian Meat Grinder (live), ex-Tableau Mort, an impressive resume on paper but on stage he’s even more impressive, his powerful delivery and strong stage presence make him the perfect fit for their work both past and future.

The set opened with Obsidian Spires from 2018’s The Blinding Light of Faith followed by Ritual Cannibalism from 2022’s The Corruption of Virtue followed by Corruption from their most recent EP The Gospel of Rot then back to The Corruption of Virtue for Religious Cancer then Twisted Landscapes 2012’s from The Emptiness Within which features a surprising and welcome twist to the delivery as vocalist Janneke from opening act Maatkare joined Stefano to share the vocal duties, an element loved by the crowd and it really added to the atmosphere of the piece.

Next two more from The Gospel of Rot EP; Deception and Indoctrination, another from The Blinding Light of Faith in the shape of Martyrs followed by Illumination from 2015’s Kingdom of the Blind, the penultimate offering being Nocturnal Splendour from 2010’s A Bleak Reflection ending back where they began their set with a final piece from The Blinding Light of Faith, War be Upon Him, all executed with dynamism.

I’ve seen De Profundis many times over the years and they always play well and this was probably the best to date, their enjoyment in performing showed hugely in the delivery resulting in everyone enjoying their set immensely. Luke Fabian did a superb job covering for Simon on bass and even  Paul busting a string and needing to do a swift guitar change didn’t manage to put a dampener on the proceedings the band chipping in with witty distractions whilst he did so, overall, it was a superb performance and welcome return from them.

Maatkare -  a collective that demonstrates that true musicianship is enduring, not merely a passing moment

Prior to this event I knew literally nothing about opening act Maatkare, a UK/ Netherlands Death Metal collective and resisted the urge to check their music out beforehand as I wanted the full impact of surprise, I’d heard a lot of positive comments so was keen to see for myself and they did not disappoint either myself or anyone else witnessing their set.

All seasoned musicians with other bands, they were not just skilled in the art of musicianship but more importantly knowing how to create a good stage presence, made all the more easy and natural by the great dynamics between the band members.

With lyrical content inspired by ancient warfare and Egyptian mythology their set was derived from their 2024 album Rise to Power, opening with War Before Peace, Rise to Power, Long Live the Queen, May the Gods Bear Witness, Maatkare, Judgement Day, Realm of the Dead and closing on Black Death.

From start to finish they made a hugely positive impact on all witnessing their performance and definitely got the evening off to a great start.