CoC : Diaboli - Towards Damnation : Review

Diaboli - _Towards Damnation_
(Full Moon Productions, 1998)
by: Henry Akeley (7 out of 10)

I was glad to see that this guy (formerly "Lord Pete", now just "Pete") made a second Diaboli record, because I really enjoyed the first one, _Mesmerized by Darkness_. I bet you'd enjoy that album too, if a blasting mix of early Bathory, old Impaled Nazarene, and just a hint of Darkthrone sounds enticing. This follow-up release is more of the same. Well, actually, in a sense it's a bit -less- of the same, because _Towards Damnation_ is not quite as ferocious or as dark as the Diaboli debut. Don't get me wrong, though: this is pretty cool; it just doesn't hammer you into the ground quite like the first record did. Still, all these little gripes of mine tend to evaporate pretty damn rapidly as I crank this up. A clear, hearty mix dominated by great guitar sound spotlights Pete's uncanny knack for crafting riffs which, no matter how oft-repeated, never get dull, thanks to the subtle rhythmic hooks woven within. The songs can be repetitious, yes, but they're also (and appropriately) mesmerizing -- and I think the slow, pounding sections of Diaboli songs are among the very best slow segments in the black metal genre. Why not give this a higher score, then? Well, as I said, I like the debut a bit better; plus, this contains only five new songs, in addition to one re-recorded track and two disposable keyboard pieces. As I say, though, on the whole this is cool stuff from a band that deserves to be more widely known.

(article published 10/3/1998)

CHATS
1/2/1997	S Hoeltzel	Diaboli: Diabolic Dialogue

ALBUMS
11/20/2000	A McKay	6	Diaboli - Anthems of Sorrow
7/17/1996	S Hoeltzel	8	Diaboli - Mesmerized by Darkness