Non Opus Dei. That cover is click bait, but fortunately what is found within is worthy of the resulting views. From the unpronouncible land of Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland; these black metallers definitely stood above the pack on Witching Hour Production's lineup list. Diabel thematically deals with the cult of the Devil (Diabeł) in Poland.
The somewhat sludgy, repetitious take on riffing is highly infectious. Primary examples of this style include "Gold-Finding Hen, Kiss-Finding Whore" and "Władca Ropuch." The groove and bass slapping crunch on "Milk of Toads" actually reminded me of early Korn. Ya' know, if they had been fronted by Ghaal and King Ov Hell. In fact, the bass takes a fairly prominent role in all of the songs from the doomy "Oko kruka głowa anioła" to the more urgent-sounding "Pustka Twoja we mnie."
Speaking of which, the last minute or so of the latter track is what piqued my interest to begin with. These screeching, grinding guitars and double bass on the drums are a tasty recipe, blackened to perfection with the vile venom of the vocals. Verily. But my favorite track has to be the aforementioned "Gold..." That oddly-timed but ultimately irresistible guitar hook is a truly unique delight. And the vaguely jazzy wah solo don't hurt either.
I mentioned the word grind a bit back. While it had another intended meaning there, this band does have its full-on grind metal inclinations at times. The points they make in five minutes are other times conveyed in just two, or sometimes even seconds ("The Tenfold Gift"). And in the case of this album, both approaches work splendidly.
So have you got $6 to spare. If so, I highly recommend you hand them over to Non Opus Dei. It's solid black metal in it's own rite, but the added groove and slapped bass to the sound make it a bit different from many of the other groups in the genre I have heard this year. Check it out for yourself below. And stop staring at the artwork, perve.