With a lineup featuring well-known members from the Turkish underground death metal scene such as Hyperdontia, Burial Invocation, Decaying Purity and Engulfed the Turkish death metal formation Diabolizer unleashed its first full album ‘Khalkedonian Death‘ on July 2nd via Everlasting Spew Records. Diabolizer’s composition takes the brutal and aggressive tone of death metal. Unlike the aforementioned counterparts, the songs offer blasting paces with enough barbarity to crush your bones. The five members of the group, notably Malik (bass guitar), Aberrant (drums), Mustafa (guitars), Abomination Demonseed (vocals) and Can (guitars), convey the traditional dynamics of the late nineties and early 2000s brutal death metal. In 2012 they debuted the first single ‘Shadows of Impending Decimation‘. Four years later the band was ready to release its EP output ‘Apokalypse’.

The high organic speed on the opening track ‘Dawn of Obliteration‘ shows the professional skills of the members. While the song doesn’t only provide the bulky riffs and the savagery growls you would expect, it also delivers some catchy technical solos, grooves and immense chunky riffs. The guitar tone is very aggressive and somehow sounds close to the band Engulfed. These members are known for being cohesive as they have worked together in a handful of projects in the past. Therefore, the cohesive performance definitely deserves some praise. Moreover, the five-piece shows excess savagery in bringing a barbaric set of eight violent tracks that are meticulously built on tectonic blast beats.

Much like the modern standard of death metal bands ‘Maelstroms of Abhorrence‘ is brought forth by massive riffs and blast beats. Blending demonic guttural growls, prominent bass lines and thundering riffs, Diabolizer clearly sets a powerful tone for their sound. Even though the drums erupt in a fierce sense with overwhelming blast beats, the guitar riffs stands out the most. Despite focusing on the power chords, there are many catchy guitar and bass lines that make the songs memorable.

‘Cloaked in an Aura of Madness‘ launches into a brutal death metal rampage. The mid-tempo contains excellent bass guitar sections followed by frantic solos. Although I didn’t expect much from the first studio album, these Turkish lads have managed to construct a characteristic sound. ‘Khalkedonian Death‘ is reminiscent of the Dutch brutal/technical death metal style. One track after another Diabolizer illustrates definite brutality as well as modern technicality. Even though the sound is quite different from the Turkish brand of death metal, the songs don’t lack any sort of quality. ‘Mayhemic Darkness and Possessed Visions‘ convey subversive and technical efficiency. The riff intensity is superb, but there are many tempo changes among the songs. The drums are usually played at fast tempo, creating a huge wall of sound throughout the duration of forty-six minutes.

The guitar department brings some catchy leads, solos and abbrasive riffs. ‘Sulphurous Vengeance‘ is a proper brutal death metal track and I bet the fans will find many qualities from the dual demonic shrieking, merciless blast beats and shredding solos. Another strong component of the music is the furious direction along with a top notch job on the mixing and production. There some modern elements of extreme death metal combined into the song composition, but the overall polished sound is one of the strengths of the album. Another track that has a brutal crushing vibe is ‘Bringers of Khalkedonian Death‘. The quality here is very similar to bands such as Vomitory. The relentless pace of the drums is quite absurd.

The guitars incorporate hooks and varied riffing styles. The final two tracks ‘Spearfuck the Throes of Treason‘ and ‘Perishing in His Oceans of Blood‘ display remarkable intricacy in the guitar craft while the drums deliver an incredible amount of blast beats and breakdowns. All these qualities like the slow guitar chords and rhythms add a variety to the overall sound.

Overall ‘Khalkedonian Death‘ embodies different styles of death metal, albeit based on modern style. The album has a one dimensional sound and the infernal growls flaunt in a ferocious tone, but the solo texturing is definitely a work of sheer intricacy. Although the band doesn’t bring anything new, the album is a demonic chunk of solid death metal carnage. This is highly recommended for fans of Severe Torture, Vomitory and Grave. 

Release Date: July 2nd, 2021
Label: Everlasting Spew Records/Me Saco Un Ojo Records/Desiccated Productions
Tracklist:

1. Dawn of Obliteration
2. Maelstorms of Abhorrence
3. Cloacked in an Aura of Madness
4. Mayhemic Darkness and Possessed Visions
5. Sulphurous Vengeance
6. Bringers of Khalkedonian Death
7. Spearfuck the Throes of Treason
8. Perishing in His Oceans of Blood