Diabolical

The Gallery Of Bleeding Art

Written by: PP on 01/04/2009 14:10:12

Diabolical play tight death metal spiced with melodic guitar bits and few symphonic orchestra elements in the form of string instruments. They've been causing some stir in the Scandinavian scene for a few years now, manifesting in the form of their name popping up in diverse magazines covering the area, and now they've reached their third album called "The Gallery Of Bleeding Art". Instead of trying to sound as brutal and unmelodic as possible, it's refreshing to see someone from the genre, who isn't specifically a melodeath band, to focus on songwriting that isn't based on technique and heaviness alone: songs like "Gallery Of Bleeding Art" or "Extinction" actually have distinct choruses and even verse bits to hum along to. The former relies on a somewhat thrashy approach on rhythm guitar while the lead guitar works its way through high-end fretwork, while the latter focuses on quick scales and melodic riffing throughout. Both songs are excellent examples of translating At The Gates' classic sound into a more modern format, and all of this is achieved despite the relative length of the two songs (5:27 and 6:23 respectively).

"Pavor Nocturnus", on the other hand, is more of a traditional death metal song with its serpentine riffs and much less melody-oriented approach. If it weren't for the relentless speed and double-pedal blast beats dominating the soundscape, it wouldn't be difficult to confuse them with At The Gates, helped by the great vocal shriek, which is actually largely decipherable as opposed to the monotonous bark and growl of most vocalists in the genre. The lyrical universe is deeply anti-religious, evident in songs like "Religionism" and "The One Who Bleeds", with the latter forming a part of the highlights reel for the record thanks to its melody-tinged brutality.

I guess it could be said that Diabolical have the same exact goals as At The Gates back when they were inventing melodic death metal. Things need to stay brutal and deeply rooted in death metal, but that must not mean that the added ingredient of distinct guitar melodies and memorable passages have to be avoided. The reason why "The Gallery Of Bleeding Art" works so well is because it combines melody with the unfriendly sound of classic death metal, and they do this entirely without breakdowns or any other death/metalcore associations. For that, they must be applauded.

8

Download: The One Who Bleeds, The Gallery Of Bleeding Art, Extinction
For the fans of: At The Gates
Listen: Myspace

Release date 04.04.2009
ViciSolum Productions

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