It wasn't that long ago that non-black metal releases on Napalm Records were few and far between, and when they did happen you could almost always count on something special. But times have changed for the label that brought us the likes of Abigor and Summoning almost as much as they have for Germany's Lacrimas Profundere, who with their eighth trip to the studio have taken yet another step away from the epic doom of _Memorandum_ toward an entirely more commercially palatable brand of gothic rock.

As a genre record it starts off well, cloaked in a shimmering production that unsurprisingly comes from the same man behind many of HIM's releases, and laden with enough hooks to make for a passable, even enjoyable listen. That is until you realise that the band have elected to stick to a similar blueprint for nigh on every song on this record as if their lives depended on it. Subsequently the relaxed verse over crashing chorus formula that typifies "Again It's Over" and "No Dear Hearts" is wrung dry of virtually any lasting appeal come song five, and with another eight set to follow in their wake, it stands to reason that _Filthy Notes for Frozen Hearts_ hardly has the makings of a landmark release.