Swedish progressive death metallers Diabolical have returned after a three year gap since their last LP ‘Neogenesis’ with this four track EP ‘Umbra’.
Now I’m not overly familiar with Diabolical’s material and I do tend to like my death metal with a vintage and old school flavour however there was plenty here I liked especially after a few play throughs.
This is very atmospheric and multi textured music and although there’s only four tracks, each one presses different buttons but this is grim and foreboding stuff on the whole.
Opener ‘Requiem’ reminds me a bit of early Opeth & Borknagar (with whom Diabolical have recently completed a European tour) and Enslaved. The driving melody rich guitar work, savage vocals from Sverka Widgren with choral background singing coupled with some incredible drumming from Par Johansson really makes this first song the standout track for me. It has an epic feel that you don’t often get in death metal and I loved it especially the teased out guitar solo towards the end.
‘Diaspora’ is up next and compared to the previous number is a little flat in comparison. Slower and full of ‘progressive’ parts, was ok but lacked a bit of oomph .
‘Tremor’ is a dreamy five minute track with mostly clean guitars over excerpts from the great Jiddu Krishnamurti‘s ‘Talks on Fear’ for the greater part although later joined by clean choral vocals. Not a track to blast in the car, this is best listened to on headphones accompanied by your mind altering substance of choice.
Final track ‘Decline’ is like a run through a dark, misty forest. A blastingly aggressive intro followed by heavy riffing and tasty guitar licks as you’re pushing the branches from your face before hitting a clear area, taking off at a sprint before being confronted by the morbid demon that lives in that forest. Eerie guitar melodies, are the brambles round your ankles that draw you ever onward to the forests evil heart. Or maybe I’m imagining it….
A good EP that you really want to play all in one hit to appreciate rather than dip in and out of.
(7/10 Mark Eve)
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