Diabolical – Neogenesis (ViciSolum Productions)

Friday, 20th September 2013
Rating: 8/10

DR was provided with a physical copy of Diabolical’s new Neogenesis album, an infrequent, yet celebratory occurrence that takes us back to when our mailbox bore daily treasures in the cardboard promo days. Cardboard the packaging this is not for Neogenesis – it’s an elaborate product, with an accompanying book (written by guitarist Carl Stjarnlov) and a gorgeous layout, one that props up the concept about the end of the world and what happens after it all goes down the tube. Nice to see a little extra care put into something for once, ya know?

As is the case, all the fancy visuals in the world don’t always a good album make, yet the Swedes have doled out a rather fervent display of taut, slightly atmospheric death metal here. They certainly have their brutal moments, like “Oracle,” where non-territory death metal riffing gains an instant stronghold, or “Dialogue with the Dead,” which dips quite happily into the storied Stockholm catalog. But, Diabolical have their own blend going, so there’s ample amount of space for the band to distinguish themselves, such as the multi-pronged “The Age to Come” or album highlight “Reincarnation of the Damned.”

The band has Neogenesis on sale via their website at a pretty reasonable price, so if you’re looking for something to cram into your CD rack (what’s a CD rack?), then this is the way to go. Moreover, there’s just too much substance, style points, and overall attention to detail across the board for Neogenesis to flame out. Diabolical have created one of the year’s top Scandinavian death metal albums.

Diabolical official site

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