Diabolic

Their first full-length release since 2003's Infinity Through Purification, and since reuniting in 2006, death metal stalwarts Diabolic are back with their new album, Excisions of Exorcisms. Featuring a revamped line-up, including original members Aantar Coates (drums) and Paul Ouellette (bass/vocals), along with guitarists Kelly McLauchlin and Jeff Parrish, the Florida natives haven't missed a step. Excisions of Exorcisms is all-out, classic, blackened death metal, complete with satanic imagery, resulting in a truly evil atmosphere. Furious riffs and blazing solos collide with black metal-style vocals, in which Ouellette mixes harsh growls with malevolent shrieks. It's obvious with this album that Diabolic know how to vary their sound from track to track, making the listen a truly enjoyable one. Catchy guitar riffs, like those in "Venomous Habitations," make for some good head-banging songs, while mach speed lead guitar work is allowed to shine through in numbers like "Bloodwashed." The slow, grimy opening riff of "False Belief" is also distinctive, showing yet another side of Diabolic.