Man, I love me some black metal! There’s just something about those dissonant guitars and vocals that call to mind screams of the innocent that really pumps my nads, ya know? With that in mind here is Flagg with new album Diabolical Bloodlust. Active since 2018, this Finnish group has released two previous albums on Purity Through Fire with 2020’s Nothing But Death debut and the follow-up a year later in Cosmic Chaos Manifest.
Right away this bitch ticks all my boxes. The guitars, the vocals, and that feeling of despair you can only find in black metal. The title track was and is my immediate #1 tune, Flagg (guitars, bass, keys) and Tyrant (vocals) sounding like they wanna burn your house to the ground. Then “The Book of Death” comes at you like the killers in The Stranger’ hitting you over and over with that creepy ‘Because you were home’ line. “Throne Regained” is a track that calls to mind classic Marduk, and that is 100% a compliment as far as these ears are concerned.
Opening things up is the one-two of “Storming the Gates” and “Morningstar Rising”, showcasing two drastic sides of the evil this group is capable of. They can hit you over the head or come in on the fog of night. Either way, you’re in trouble. Closer “Omega Dawn” is a track that’s very straightforward but make no mistake about it, it’s coming to take your damn head off.
Look, I could go on and on, but know this. Flagg have delivered one helluva record with Diabolical Bloodlust. And if things are this good and we’re only on album #3, watch out, people.
Standout Tracks: “Diabolical Bloodlust”, “Throne Regained”, “The Book of Death”, “Storming the Gates”.