ALBUM REVIEW: Diabolic Night – Beneath The Crimson Prophecy

Blackened Speed Metal warlords DIABOLIC NIGHT finally return with their 2nd album, out on October 20th via High Roller Records and Mortal Rite Records.

Epic soundscape begin our journey with a cinematic introduction. Simple, effective and evocative, this sets the tone for the conquest ahead. Menacing guitars cut in with a raw assault of barbaric Heavy Metal atop plucky bass and fearsome drumming. This instrumental onslaught is rivalled by equally vicious vocals, building speed and fury alike in remorse fashion. The sense of melody feels very traditional, while taking the extreme edge of the music into overdrive with a ripping delivery of total devastation. The way this band fires on all cylinders with their metallic rage follows on superbly from the previous work with a very similar execution both musically and in terms of the stripped back production, showcasing a primitive power that real maniacs will instantly adore the gritty charms of. Along with the tempest of melodic hellfire, there is enough rhythmic battery to ensure some neck breakage as the thunderous thrashing sections kick your teeth with demonic damnation. Rivalling the evilness is this sense of triumph and power that shines through, especially in the lead guitars, to give a heroic angle to the ancient sounds of blackened Heavy Metal mayhem.

Forging further on our quest, the building senses of both valour but also malicious spirits lurking in the parapets gives a viciously enchanting sense of adventures that is gripping to listen to and paints a picturesque fantasy to go with the venomous sounds. The flowing barbarity and yet elegant flourishes on this album are truly bewitching and will fill you with adrenaline as you find yourself embarking further into this marvellous world crafted across these songs. As we get to the heart of the album, the intense and rabidly urgent sense of danger is so palpable that the heart races with the majestic blasting and soaring riffs. This narrative being delivered by blisteringly harsh vocals only adds to the sense of panic and excitement which are equally bountiful. Surges of obliterating extremity do not relent as we are embattled. As the besieging Heavy Metal strike reaches ever higher peaks, there is no turning back.

Occasionally in the Black-Thrash genre you get a band who uses some more melancholic dynamics. Key examples would be fellow Germans Witching Hour and France’s Hexecutor. For me, this contrast (and each bands addition of more traditional Heavy Metal angles) sets them out as the most exciting to listen to. Diabolic Night also utilise this juxtaposition to great effect, giving a sombre and sometimes even funereal touch to grace the air of debauchery and mania with some emotion. Fear not, I do not mean this record goes limp, but rather weaves a richer tapestry than many contemporaries due to the bands excellence in encompassing more than one weapon in their bludgeoning arsenal of decimating Metal violence. With the voyage drawing to and end, Diabolic Night deliver totally encompassing music and storytelling up until the last, finishing on a longer and epic piece. Relentless until the dying moments, this new record from Diabolic Night has been a pleasurable pursuit to join them on. One which warrants revisiting, as does their entire back catalogue. So if this is the first you have heard of this horde, make sure to go back and check out their truly formidable discography too.

An opus of killer blackened Heavy Metal carnage that takes you on a spellbinding journey with furious aggression pounding every second of the way. This record is cranked to eleven while nuanced enough to give us plenty of obscure charms to discover under the veil of pure armageddon. A raging epic that must be witnessed by all worshippers of the black metallic flame with a penchant for the more traditional elements of the genre.