After the colossal disappointment that is the new At the Gates album, I’m in dire need of a death metal ass kicking. I’m convinced that even the most generic of death peddlers could appease my appetite for brutality. Lucky for me, I’ve found a band who’s quite a few steps above “generic”. Up until today, if you had put a gun to my head and told me to name one Turkish death metal band, my brains would’ve become wallpaper. Most likely, yours would’ve too. So you can thank me for introducing you to Diabolizer later. The mention of their name just might get you out of a life or death situation.
Diabolizer formed back in 2012. They released a single and EP, before laying relatively low for the better part of five years. That all changes with the release of their debut full length Khalkedonian Death. Now I’ve heard of US death metal, Swedish death metal, Finnish death metal, and so on and so forth. Khalkedonian Death? That’s a new one even for this know-it-all. Upon further research, it turns out the title is reference to Chalcedon: An ancient Turkish town which is now a district of Istanbul named Kadıköy and also happens to be Diabolizer’s stomping grounds. The more you know!
The stylings of Khalkedonian Death draw heavily from classic American death metal circa 1993 to 1995. The breakneck insanity of cuts like “Dawn of Obliteration” and “Maelstroms of Abhorrence” sound like a cross between Cannibal Corpse and Deicide with a touch of Steve Tucker era Morbid Angel. Hellish riffs, brutal gutturals, and blind blasts of fury combine to create a vitriolic brand of dark death metal. On “Cloaked in an Aura of Madness”, the band proves they can be just as lethal at half speed as they can at full. There’s nothing wrong with having a need for speed, but I appreciate the bands who can do both sides of the coin.
Khalkedonian Death is far from a death/thrash album. However, I’d be lying if I said there weren’t some thrashy as hell moments. In particular, “Mayhemic Darkness and Possessed Visions”, “Sulphurous Vengeance”, and “Spearfuck the Throes of Treason” (which deserves an award for its title alone) contain some downright violent mosh riffs. There’s also some flashy guitar work that tows the line between melodic and technical death metal without fully being either. Rounding it all out are tinges of Suffocation style slam, most prominently showcased on the closer, “Perishing in His Oceans of Blood”.
If you’re having a hard time wrapping your head around this all over the place review, do yourself a favor and brace yourself for the lethal assault that is Diabolizer. American bands, old and new, can take a lesson from these Turkish terror merchants. Khalkedonian Death is bound to be the new rage among the death metal faithful.
7 out of 10
Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Genre: Death Metal
For fans of: Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Suffocation