This is the second album by this Turkish band, who expand the boundaries of black metal toward folk and symphonic sounds that are part of the music that Diabolical Raw produces.
The band consists of Ozan Erkmen on vocals and Ozan Tunc on all instruments, including the "symphonic" arrangements. The cover art was done by Mukadder Karaoğlan.
The band consists of Ozan Erkmen on vocals and Ozan Tunc on all instruments, including the "symphonic" arrangements. The cover art was done by Mukadder Karaoğlan.
Musically, Diabolical Raw draws on basic elements of black metal and extreme metal, such as blast beats and a completely black metal voice, as you might hear in bands like Marduk or Dark Funeral. However, within that typical chaotic sound, there is a relentless keyboard sound reminiscent of symphony orchestras, reminiscent of Dimmu Borgir's recent albums, only the melodies played are influenced by sounds or scales from the folklore of the band's homeland.
In this endeavor, the sound is very well achieved, making everything sound very professional. You just have to assimilate the atmosphere they propose or whether the music is inspired enough to get you hooked on the album. After a somewhat lengthy instrumental introduction, comes a lengthy song called "Commands of the Gods," which is powerful and extreme with some folkloric overtones. However, the fusion is well achieved, so it doesn't become cloying or too obvious. "Wise Old Woman" is more of a classic extreme metal sound, but at a certain point, that symphonic keyboard should take a break because I start to hear only that and not the guitars, which, after all, is what determines much of the metal itself in the final sound. Fortunately, in "Entry into Erlik's Hell," they change the sound direction at least a bit, and everything is no longer so repetitive, even though the track exceeds eight minutes. "Tilgen's Fall" is almost as long, however, the inclusion of violin sounds makes everything feel more varied.
The album fails to become long and tedious, as it exceeds an hour and fifteen minutes. However, the current debate about songs or a full album also arises, to which I respond that metalheads generally prefer a full album, and from that perspective I make my criticisms, so there are variables such as song order, length, lyrical content, and the length of each track itself. In this case, there are songs that stand out individually, but the overall result is flatter and more monotonous. I know it's a story, a concept album, but that's not a compelling justification.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=IwUY6FxzhN0&t=1109s
