Lest we dare to forget, six years later and I had lost all hope of these Swedes releasing another album, after such a long hiatus due to many recording commitments producing other bands at their recording studio (Sverker "Vidar" Widgren – Guitars) and reported record label problems, they are back, and they are back with a venomous vengeance.
Diabolical are never a band to be tied down and limit their Death/Thrash metal hybrid, the band continue to defy critics and forge some headbanging tunes. I feel somewhat mystified by the variation and sheer atmosphere produced on these tunes, especially on ‘Extinction’, the quiet piece on this track certainly takes you away to another place, but then the hammering guitar madness brings you back swiftly. Magnus Ödling’s vocals rasp away and back up some excellent blackened torrents of Swedish style aggression. Lyrics typically touch on death, dreamland thoughts of suicide whilst parasitic diseases take control and isolation in ones mind, so all jolly stuff then! But when it is arranged with whirlwind riffs, solos and thundering drums, it all makes sense. ‘Vertigo’ and ‘Pavor Nocturnus’ are perfect examples of this.
The album paintings within the CD booklet are great works, courtesy of Carl Stjärnlöf (on Drums) with the cover art handled by Mattias Osterberg. It’s definitely a family affair with production and engineering handled by Diabolical’s guitarist Sverker. Producing your own work has its merits, all systems are fully functional and the mix is typically powerful and well balanced.
But back to the music, the glorious riffing in ‘Religionism’ backs up their lyrical pop at all things in that subject matter, the solo finger taps its way into your soul with the many sweeping scales providing a catalyst to merge with the rhythmic drumming that you just cannot help nodding along too. “praise your ignorance” if you don’t pick up a copy of this album, I would not say it’s an absolute classic album upon your first listen, but give it time, and a couple more listens, it certainly has plenty of good ideas that can immerse your concentration, and boy does it grow on you! Once the time is taken to appreciate what is happening with this album, it quickly becomes a masterful piece art and a welcomed return to the scene.
http://www.myspace.com/religionist
http://diabolical.se/
http://www.vicisolum.com
