It has been a while since I wrote a Song of the Day/Featured Single –type of article because there wasn’t much that really caught my attention. Sure, one can argue that the new singles from the likes of ORBIT CULTURE or AMARANTHE or TESSARACT (or any other band with new music for that matter) deserve the spotlight much more than this rather (yet) unknown name but the simple fact of the matter is that I have been replaying Julian Larre’s recent singles much more than anything else and finally decided to write a few words about one of my favorites. So, enough with the meta-text, let’s get down to business.
Before I talk about the music, let me introduce the artist. As stated earlier, his name is only known in some select circles (i.e. his Patreon community) as well as on the German Gothic metal scene as the edgy voice of LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE. If you have attended any one of the band’s shows since M’Era Luna 2018 or have listened to “Bleeding the Stars” (2019) and/or “How to Shroud Yourself with Night” (2022) then you are familiar with Julian Larre’s versatile vocals and charismatic presence. The thing is, he also has his own solo project – Finnish-based metal act LESSDMV – where he is less restrained and thus able to really showcase his skills both as a songwriter and as a singer.
I don’t know about you, but I have come to admire artists that are not afraid to showcase different aspects of their personality with the music they are making. Moreover, Julian has grown so much as a songwriter for LESSDMV in the past few years as each subsequent track he released since “Nemesis” (2021) is better and more well-rounded than the one before. On a personal note, I have to admit that in between covers from various artists, his own songs, and LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE tracks, Julian Larre is slowly but surely becoming everything I have ever wanted a metal vocalist to be.
As for the song, I kind of took a big risk by not writing about heavier tracks like “Awake in Silence” or “Keep it Alive,” where the mix of clean and harsh vocals is coupled with intense guitar melodies and pounding drums but instead chose to focus on “Disarmed,” a stripped-down ballad. Why, you ask? Because it shows vulnerability, and not many artists nowadays choose to display such raw emotions when they can hide behind a wall of sound. Well, “Disarmed” is a vocally driven acoustic ballad with some piano melodies that allow the focus to fall squarely on Julian Larre’s superbly nuanced clean voice and emotive power. The fragile ambiance coupled with some mellow percussions gives the track a haunting quality that lingers long after the music is over. Lyrically, “Disarmed” is not one of those sappy ballads about love/loss/heartbreak or even falling in love. No, “Disarmed” has more lyrical depth than that, and this is a major point I want to make. This song is not just about a stirring vocal delivery but also about candid lyrics that deal with broken trust, and it is this precise mixture that sets this song apart from anything else.
To conclude, while a song like the chaotic “Keep it Alive” (video) emphasizes his versatility with harsh vocals and screams, “Disarmed” beautifully highlights his ability for soft, delicate singing and I feel that quieting down is a skill not many possess and one of the main reasons I appreciate (and highly recommend) this gorgeous piece of music so damn much. Enjoy it at the link below:
Written by Andrea Crow
