Originally formed in 1996, Tampa death metal band Diabolic became a well-known name in the late 90s and early 2000s thanks to a succession of standout albums that pulled from some familiar inspirations but did the style justice. Though they would breakup briefly and reform in 2004 with a different lineup, in recent years the group has been focused on live performances as the core duo of Aantar Lee Coates and Paul Ouellette has kept things going yet new material has been few and far between. That has changed this year with Mausoleum of the Unholy Ghost, the group’s first full length in a decade, which sees them debuting new guitarist Matt Roberts and utilizing Monstrosity’s Matt Barnes for session work. It’s a fast paced and fairly short release at just twenty-eight minutes but finds Diabolic still doing what they do best.
There have been quite a few Florida death metal bands returning to activity over the last couple of years, with the resulting material varying widely in quality. But listening to Mausoleum of the Unholy Ghost it sounds like Diabolic doesn’t have a decade gap to their discography, as the material flies by with tight and heavy hitting riffs and just the right amount of melody. There’s still quite a bit of Morbid Angel influence to the sound, but the more stripped down and back to the basics approach also reminds me a bit of the last Deicide album from 2018 as the songwriting keeps things brief enough to capture your attention and doesn’t drag things out to the point of repetition. With the emphasis on speed and blasting guitar, and bass work that feels like it is capable of peeling your skin off with scorching tonality, there are some similarities between some of the songs, but the high points prove memorable enough to stick with you. The title track is a perfect example of what this incarnation of Diabolic is capable of as it unleashes extremely fast blasts and blistering solos at you early on, only to slow things down and let a dark and evil atmosphere fester towards the end. It’s these types of details that give the material a bit more for listeners to latch on to compared to a lot of the newer acts that go for this same type of sound, and with the recording sounding absolutely immense Mausoleum of the Unholy Ghost is likely to have some real staying power for fans of the old-school sound and aesthetic.
Paul Ouellette’s vocals have remained consistent throughout the past two decades, hitting lower and mid-range screams and growls that add to the overall power of Diabolic’s material. Rather than going for the guttural ranges that defined much of US death metal in the 90s, his pitch is slightly higher and is delivered in a way that allows you to easily make out of the lyrics in each of the songs. It’s consistently in your face and there are enough variations to Ouellette’s pitch to keep things from feeling too one-dimensional, which is one of the main issues that tends to pop up with this type of death metal. What’s also worth noting is the mix, which gives just the right amount of separation between the instrumentals and vocals, allowing listeners to focus equally on both elements as they make their way through.
Despite the lengthy gap between albums, Diabolic has returned in a big way. They haven’t deviated significantly from the type of death metal that has defined their entire career, but the amount of polish and intensity present here makes quite a few of these songs stand out even if they feel similarly constructed. It’s another strong showing for old-school death metal and I think it stands a bit above 2010’s Excisions of Exorcisms, approaching the same level of some of their earlier full lengths. Mausoleum of the Unholy Ghost is available from the band’s own label Witchhunter Records and Tentacles Industries. UPDATE (2024): The album will be available March 21st on CD from vicrecords.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg
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