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Album Review – Diabolizer / Khalkedonian Death (2021)

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Turkish torchbearers of diabolical abomination return with their first-ever full-length opus, blasting our souls with eight tracks of unrelenting and savage Death Metal raids that will just leave you mouth-watering for more.

4.0rating

diabolizer-khalkedonian-death-2021Turkish torchbearers of diabolical abomination Diabolizer are finally back with their debut album Khalkedonian Death, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed EP’s Shadows Of Impending Decimation (2012) and Apokalypse (2016), offering fans of bands the likes of Sinister, Hate Eternal and Deicide eight tracks of unrelenting and savage Death Metal raids that will just leave you mouth-watering for more. Recorded, mixed, mastered by Ozan Yıldırım (Deadhouse Studio) and displaying a sick, demonic cover painting by Jon Zig, Khalkedonian Death is by far the most pulverizing and complete effort by this Kadıköy, Istanbul-based horde comprised of Abomination on vocals, Mustafa and Can on the guitars, Malik on bass and Aberranton drums, not only positioning the band as one of the driving forces of the extreme music scene in their homeland, but also helping spread the burning fires of Turkish metal to all four corner of the earth.

The opening track Dawn Of Obliteration is absolutely infernal and devastating from the very first second, with Aberrant being merciless behind his drums while Abomination arises from the pits of hell with his trademark roars. Put differently, this is Turkish Death Metal at its finest, which is also the case in Maelstroms Of Abhorrence, where Abomination manically growls the song’s wicked lyrics (“As if trapped in singularity / Countless relics I behold / Seconds are aeons / My mind is drifting”) while Mustafa and Can extract sheer malignancy and hatred from their stringed weapons; and it’s time to bang your fuckin’ heads to the demented Cloaked In An Aura Of Madness, a lesson in Death Metal by the quintet where Malik’s rumbling bass and Aberrant’s classic beats bring the groove to the band’s usual demolition for our total delight. Then more of their demented and Stygian music invades our ears in the steamroller tune Mayhemic Darkness And Possessed Visions, living up to the legacy of old school Death Metal, and with the band’s guitar duo delivering sick Cannibal Corpse-inspired riffs nonstop.

And there’s no sign of slowing down for those ruthless metallers; quite the contrary, Diabolizer continue to crush our senses in Sulphuric Vengeance, another pulverizing lecture in Turkish Death Metal where Abomination’s gruesome growling walks hand in hand with the vicious drumming by Aberrant, whereas the riffage by Mustafa and Can will penetrate deep inside your putrid skin in Bringers Of Khalkedonian Death, a massive, disruptive tune that invites us all to slam into the circle pit like rabid metal maniacs. Spearfuck The Throes Of Treason, their second to last blast of obscurity and rage, will inspire you to break your neck in half headbanging, with Malik hammering his bass nonstop while Mustafa and Can alternate between sheer savagery and somber moments on the guitars. Lastly, ending such intense and hellish album of death it’s time for the quintet to haunt our souls with Perishing In His Oceans Of Blood, showcasing grim riffs, wicked solos, guttural vociferations and pounding drums, or in other words, everything we love in savage Death Metal.

diabolizer-2021If you consider yourself a true metalhead and are ready to carry the torch of Turkish Death Metal together with the guys from Diabolizer, you can start following the band on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and so on and, of course, above all that, purchase your copy of one of the best Death Metal albums of the year from the band’s own BandCamp page, from the Everlasting Spew Records’ BandCamp page or webstore, from the Me Saco Un Ojo Records’ BandCamp page, from the Desiccated Productions’ BandCamp page, and soon from Apple Music and Amazon. Diabolizer have been solidifying and perfecting their sound with each one of their releases, and their first ever full-length opus perfectly summarizes everything the band stands for. As a matter of fact, the band’s hometown Kadıköy used to be called Khalkedonia (which means “the land of the blind”) by the Byzantines, showing Diabolizer’s masterplan with their newborn spawn has always been to warn the entire world Khalkedonian Death Metal is among us to stay.

Best moments of the album: Dawn Of Obliteration, Cloaked In An Aura Of Madness and Bringers Of Khalkedonian Death.

Worst moments of the album: None, of course.

Released in 2021 Everlasting Spew Records / Me Saco Un Ojo Records / Desiccated Productions

Track listing
1. Dawn Of Obliteration 5:17
2. Maelstroms Of Abhorrence 5:23
3. Cloaked In An Aura Of Madness 5:11
4. Mayhemic Darkness And Possessed Visions 7:22
5. Sulphuric Vengeance 4:46
6. Bringers Of Khalkedonian Death 5:50
7. Spearfuck The Throes Of Treason 5:45
8. Perishing In His Oceans Of Blood 6:45

Band members
Abomination – vocals
Mustafa – guitars
Can – guitars
Malik – bass
Aberrant – drums

Album Review – Engulfed / Engulfed In Obscurity (2017)

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Get ready for over 45 minutes of pure Turkish Death Metal darkness that will ruthlessly shatter your skull and rip your spine out.

The arts of death worship and devilry have been executed once again in the madness-filled streets of Kadıköy, a large, cosmopolitan district of Istanbul, Turkey. Engulfed, the notorious Death Metal quartet formed in 2010 and known for their putrid smelling 2012 EP entitled Through The Eternal Damnation, are back with their first full-length album, the crushing Engulfed in Obscurity. Featuring members from other honorable Turkish Metal desecrators such as Decaying Purity, Burial Invocation and Diabolizer, this demonic entity will shatter your skull and rip your spine out in over 45 minutes of visceral extreme music, showing you why whenever a band hails from Turkey, you better be ready for a fantastic devastation.

Two of the members of Engulfed, guitarist Mustafa and drummer Aberrant, were our “guests” at The Headbanging Moose last year with their pulverizing album Apokalypse, from their other band Diabolizer, and if you enjoyed that album you’ll certainly keep banging your head nonstop to the music found in Engulfed In Obscurity, as it’s at the same level of destruction, quality and electricity, showcasing all the talent and passion for Death Metal by those two crusaders. In addition, the classy and grim cover art by renowned New Zealand-based artist Nick Keller brings an additional layer of darkness to Engulfed In Obscurity, strengthening the overall malignancy emanating from the entire album even more.

The ominous Escalation of Darkness opens the gates to the disturbing and violent world ruled by Engulfed in The Halls Of Grim Eternity, and be prepared because, when you enter it, there’s no way out as you’ll be mercilessly smashed by the band’s brutal music. Needless to say how demolishing Aberrant sounds on drums, with lead singer and bassist Serkan violently barking his putrid guttural growls throughout the whole song. Darkened sounds kick off another vile creation by Engulfed named Conqueror From Beyond The Outer Gates, a vile hymn made to crush your spinal cord where Mustafa and Kasil sound beyond gory with their cutting guitar riffs in the best old school Death Metal style imaginable.

The title-track Engulfed In Obscurity begins with a gruesome welcome card by Serkan, almost vomiting the lyrics, while Aberrant is unstoppable on drums just like what he does in Diabolizer. Furthermore, all instruments are roaring like demonic entities, keeping the song’s hellish vibe burning from start to finish. Moving on with the band’s sonic havoc, guitars, bass and drums will smash your senses in the putrid chant of vileness titled Invocation Of Death And Misery, where the cavernous growls by Serkan together with the pounding drums by Aberrant become the epitome of old school Death Metal; whereas Demonic Manifest Of Devastation is a gory Death Metal tune perfect for breaking your neck headbanging or slamming into the pit like a wild beast, with highlights to its rhythmic infernal beats and the truly deep gnarls by Serkan.

A faster and more furious version of Engulfed (if that’s humanly possible) comes in the form of Inseminated With Demon Seed, with its guitar lines reeking of sulfur while Aberrant keeps the musicality as heavy and impactful as it can be. In other words, get ready for six minutes of darkness and demonic sounds from the deepest dungeons of Turkey. If you’re a diehard fan of Death Metal you’ll definitely feel your blood burning listening to the classic tune Mayhemic Flames Of Doom, led by devilish riffs by Mustafa and Kasil until its brutal finale, before the outro The Blackened Skies puts an end to the earthquake named Engulfed In Obscurity, giving a sense of a post-apocalyptic landscape as a conclusion to the album.

After listening to over 45 minutes of the barbaric Death Metal blasted by Engulfed, my respect for underground Turkish Metal only grew in intensity, making me wonder what a fertile country like Turkey could offer the world of heavy music with proper support. You can explore the dark catacombs of Engulfed in more detail through their Facebook page and YouTube channel, and grab your copy of Engulfed In Obscurity (which can be streamed in its entirety HERE or HERE) at Engulfed’s BandCamp page, at the Hellthrasher Productions’ BandCamp page or webshop (as a regular CD or as a two CD bundle containing Engulfed In Obscurity and Through The Eternal Damnation), or at Discogs. But you better be prepared before you descend into the underworld of Engulfed, as you’ll be entrapped in the filthy darkness crafted by this amazing band for all eternity.

Best moments of the album: The Halls Of Grim Eternity, Engulfed In Obscurity and Inseminated With Demon Seed.

Worst moments of the album: Demonic Manifest Of Devastation.

Released in 2017 Hellthrasher Productions/Blood Harvest Records

Track listing
1. Escalation of Darkness 2:17
2. The Halls Of Grim Eternity 5:07
3. Conqueror From Beyond The Outer Gates 6:14
4. Engulfed In Obscurity 7:29
5. Invocation Of Death And Misery 5:32
6. Demonic Manifest Of Devastation 5:04
7. Inseminated With Demon Seed 6:29
8. Mayhemic Flames Of Doom 7:16
9. The Blackened Skies 3:04

Band members
Serkan – vocals, bass
Mustafa – guitars
Kasil – guitar
Aberrant – drums

Album Review – Diabolizer / Apokalypse MCD (2016)

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A short and violent soundtrack to apocalypse delivered by a promising Death Metal band forged in the scorching fires of Turkey.

Rating4

diabolizer_apokalypse_coverThe already scorching fires of Kadıköy, a large cosmopolitan district of Istanbul, Turkey, are about to become even more incandescent due to the release of the excellent MCD entitled Apokalypse, forged in the pits of hell by a relentless Death Metal entity known as Diabolizer. Formed in 2012, this apocalyptic horde is comprised of members from Decaying Purity, Engulfed, Deggial and Godslaying Hellblast, among others, all prominent bands from the Turkish underground scene, with a sole purpose of worshiping destruction and punishing any living creature that dares to confront them with their decimating Death Metal.

This thrilling MCD contains five brand new compositions by the Diabolizer crew and two tracks from their very limited 2012 promo Shadows Of Impending Decimation, as a bonus to all true supporters of good old Death Metal. Not only that, in order to give a proper face to their music, Diabolizer recruited Polish illustrator Robert A. von Ritter (Armagh, Ragehammer) for the artwork and Polish artist Piotr Kurek of Mentalporn (Ulcer, Embrional) to take care of the design of the album, and the final result is obviously amazing, representing in images all the fury and melody found in Apokalypse.

Diabolizer come crushing with their loud and infernal Death Metal from the very first second of the opening track, Process the Void, with lead singer Abomination sounding like a raving bulldozer while drummer Aberrant delivers pure hatred through his drums. After listening to this amazing showcase of Extreme Metal made in Turkey, you’ll start wondering if there’s a way they could sound even more furious than this. Well, those Turkish metallers actually answer that question with the superb Death Metal chant Condemned to Burn in Hell, where they masterfully unleash hell with Mustafa and Ewan pounding their strings and Abomination going from the deepest guttural to enraged high-pitched screams in an solid and demonic way.

And there’s absolutely no sign of Diabolizer slowing down in Temple of Demonic Torments, where Aberrant keeps showing off his tremendous skills as a drummer whereas Mustafa and Ewan once again fire their aggressive but melodious riffs and solos, followed by Blood Aesthetics Dictated,  with Abomination commanding this sonic onslaught by bursting his lungs out. This is brutal Death Metal with highlights to its barbaric rhythm and relentless riffage, and get ready to feel your entire body soaring after banging like a wild beast to this demented tune.

diabolizerInspired by the musicality found in most albums by the iconic Cannibal Corpse and blended with elements of contemporary Black Metal, Hammer of Diabolization (such a beautiful name for a song) offers the listener some interesting tempo changes and lots of variations to its intensity, a breathe of “sulfuric” air that ends up providing a humongous extra dosage of electricity to the overall result. In regards to the two bonus songs taken from their 2012 promo, I bet you can imagine they are as demolishing as the new songs if you haven’t heard them yet. Beneath the Skullthrone and Descend into Desolation are both exceptional Death Metal songs, with the latter being more brutal and, therefore, more gripping.

In order to get in touch with Diabolizer, simply go check their Facebook page, and if you want to purchase a digital copy of Apokalypse you can find it for sale at their BandCamp page. In case you’re an old school metal fan and prefer a physical copy of the album, the MCD is available in two versions: a regular jewel case CD with an 8-page booklet and a limited edition (100 copies) of jewel case CD branded with serigraphy print and patch. If Diabolizer were capable of delivering such a high level of violence and hatred in only a few songs like what we can see in Apokalypse, I wonder what will happen when they finally release their first full-length album upon humanity. Maybe we’ll witness the ultimate “soundtrack to apocalypse”, don’t you think?

Best moments of the album: Condemned to Burn in Hell and Hammer of Diabolization.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2016 Third Eye Temple

Track listing
1. Process the Void 4:57
2. Condemned to Burn in Hell 2:58
3. Temple of Demonic Torments 4:34
4. Blood Aesthetics Dictated 4:37
5. Hammer of Diabolization 5:34

Shadows Of Impending Decimation (Promo 2012) bonus tracks
6. Beneath the Skullthrone 4:34
7. Descend into Desolation 4:57

Band members
Abomination – vocals
Mustafa – guitars
Ewan – guitars
Alican – bass
Aberrant – drums