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Album Review – Diabolical Raw / Elegy of Fire Dusk (2022)

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Behold this grandiose album of Symphonic Black and Death Metal, telling a deep and detailed story inspired by ancient Central Asian Turkish mythology.

Having entered the Turkish Extreme Metal scene in the city of Izmir in the now distant year of 1998 under the name Diabolical and currently located in Hanover, Germany, the fantastic Symphonic Black/Death Metal duo now known as Diabolical Raw, comprised of vocalist Ozan Erkmen and multi-instrumentalist Ozan Tunc, is back from the pits of hell with their sophomore full-length opus, the imposing and epic Elegy of Fire Dusk, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2019 album Estrangement. Recorded, mixed and mastered by the band itself, and displaying a sinister yet gorgeous artwork by Mukadder “Muko” Karaoğlan, the album tells a story inspired by ancient Central Asian Turkish mythology that develops around Kaygun, the daughter of a small clan leader, showing that not only the music found in the album is grandiose, but there’s also a lot of depth in its lyrics.

Middle-Eastern elements spice up the bold, obscure intro Revelations, opening the gates of the underworld for the duo to crush our souls in Commands of the Gods, with Ozan Tunc generating a menacing ambience with his riffs, drums and all orchestrations, resulting in an imposing Dimmu Borgir-style aria showcasing the demonic vocal potency by Ozan Erkmen. Wise Old Woman is another blast of obscurity in the form of top-notch Symphonic Extreme Metal that feels like the soundtrack to a hellish horror movie, where Ozan Tunc sounds possessed by an evil entity behind his drums; and there’s no time to breathe as the duo’s fusion of Black Metal with symphonic elements and a Stygian storytelling is offered to us all in Entry into Erlik’s Hell, with Ozan Tunc extracting sheer darkness from his guitars, bass and drums while Ozan Erkmen roars and barks manically for our total delight. They keep guiding us through the realms of Turkish mythology in the incendiary aria Tilgen’s Fall, blending the most pulverizing elements of classic Black Metal with pure symphony, and get ready to be decimated by the duo in Face the Judgement, a brilliant Symphonic Black and Death Metal extravaganza spearheaded by the massive, unstoppable beats by Ozan Tunc, flowing into the instrumental interlude Uprising, which will captivate our senses before we’re treated to Talking With Gods, sounding as if it was taken directly form the soundtrack to an epic, demonic movie, with Ozan Tunc being simply majestic throughout the entire song.

No sign of slowing down as Diabolical Raw keep hammering our heads with their Symphonic Black Metal in The Invincible Army, where the wicked, evil vociferations by Ozan Erkmen will haunt your soul for all eternity while Ozan Tunc generates a beautiful wall of sounds in the background. Then an otherworldly roar by Ozan Erkmen kick off the infernal tune The Last War With Evil, the perfect combination of the rawness and violence of traditional Black Metal riffs with the finesse of Symphonic Black Metal, reminding me of some of the most visceral creations by Cradle of Filth, followed by its second part entitled The Last War With Evil II, once again exploding our senses with their somber sounds and wicked vociferations. Put differently, I must say that Ozan Erkmen might be one of the best Extreme Metal vocalists of the current scene. The Council at the Asar Land is one of the most symphonic and detailed of all songs, a flawless fusion of heaviness and orchestral elements thanks to a brilliant job done by Ozan Tunc, in special his venomous blast beats, before the album ends with the cinematic outro Epic Grandeur, putting a classy finale to all the madness and obscurity crafted by the duo.

In a nutshell, Diabolical Raw simply nailed it with Elegy of Fire Dusk, one of the best Extreme Metal albums of 2022 hands down, and if you want to show your support to such talented duo you can start following them on Facebook and on Instagram, subscribe to their YouTube channel and stream more of their hellish creations on Spotify, and of course, above all that, purchase a copy of such awesome album from their own BandCamp page or from the Base Record Production’s BandCamp page. Do you think you have what it takes to face ancient Central Asian Turkish mythology in the form of Symphonic Black and Death Metal? If your answer is yes, don’t waste your time and go prove to Diabolical Raw that you’re a loyal servant of the dark side of music, inspiring the duo to keep embellishing the airwaves with their unparalleled music for many years to come.

Best moments of the album: Commands of the Gods, Entry into Erlik’s Hell, Face the Judgement and The Last War With Evil.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2022 Base Record Production

Track listing
1. Revelations 2:31
2. Commands of the Gods 6:18
3. Wise Old Woman 5:33
4. Entry into Erlik’s Hell 8:02
5. Tilgen’s Fall 7:19
6. Face the Judgement 6:06
7. Uprising 2:06
8. Talking With Gods 6:37
9. The Invincible Army 5:54
10. The Last War With Evil 8:30
11. The Last War With Evil II 7:42
12. The Council at the Asar Land 7:45
13. Epic Grandeur 2:36

Band members
Ozan Erkmen – vocals
Ozan Tunc – all instruments

Album Review – Vaginal Anomalies / Violent Devotion to Kill (2020)

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Get ready for a feast of gore, heaviness and perversity in the form of Brutal Death Metal, courtesy of two demented Mexican metallers armed with their new full-length album.

What began as a one-man pathological project formed by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Pozolegrind (whose real name is Erick Alejandro Navarro Jimenez) back in 2014 in Poncitlán, a town and municipality in Jalisco, in central-western Mexico, has evolved into a beastly duo through the years, taking no prisoners in their quest for heaviness, blood and perversity. I’m talking about the infernal Brutal Death Metal/Deathslam two-headed monster curiously named Vaginal Anomalies, and even if you think the name of the band is too dark and gory for your standards, you should definitely take a listen at the infuriated fusion of Grindcore and Death Metal found in their first full-length opus, titled Violent Devotion to Kill, where Pozolegrind together with vocalist Cheve (also known as Alejandro Magallon) distill their most venomous sounds in the form of nine putrid and acid compositions, plus three amazing live bonus tracks.

A classic Mexican-inspired intro invites the listener to the blood-soaked world of Vaginal Anomalies, before exploding into a visceral and barbaric Death Metal feast led by the inhumane gnarls by Cheve in The Embalming Process in Decomposition Bodies, and Cheve’s growling gets even more demonic in Ditch Full of Dismembered Corpses, while Pozolegrind extracts sheer savagery from his riffage and beats. I must say this is a bestial way to break your neck headbanging to their vicious extreme music, whereas in Poncigrind we face less than two minutes of disturbing screeches and heavy-as-hell guitars that will penetrate deep inside your psyche before the demented tune Improper Desires to Fornicate Satan comes crushing our skulls mercilessly, with Pozolegrind maintaining the atmosphere as heavy and obscure as possible, therefore offering Cheve all he needs to basically vomit the song’s lyrics. And let’s keep banging our heads to the duo’s sick and brutal Death Metal in God Advise Me to Torture and Kill, where Cheve and Pozolegrind sound even more insane than before, in special Cheve who simply barks, snarls and roars like a demonic entity.

Perhaps inspired by one of the most iconic scenes from Breaking Bad, the duo fires another slamming and absolute raw creation titled Addicts to Disolve Torsos in a Bathub, where the guitars by Pozolegrind are just as hellish as Cheve’s deep guttural barks, while an ethereal start quickly turns into a visceral display of Brutal Death Metal entitled The Vulgar Pedophile Incitement of the Priest, featuring vocalist Alex Gama From Mexican Brutal Death Metal band Hallux Valgus, with both vocals being a lesson in bestiality and dementia. There’s no time to breathe as those Mexicans keep hammering our heads with their vicious sonic attack in Whore Maniac, offering more of their trademark riffs and otherworldly growling, and last but not least, they bring forth another shot of cinematic and traditional Mexican sounds in the title-track Violent Devotion to Kill, morphing into a slamming extravaganza led by the smashing drums by Pozolegrind while Cheve snarls in a true grim mode. Not only that, Vaginal Anomalies also offer their fans as bonus tracks the songs Internal Examination, Pelvic Infection and Placenta Abnormalities live at Mexxxicore Death Fest Open Air in 2019 in Poncitlán, providing us all a sonic carnage showcasing all their talent and fury on stage.

I guess I don’t need to say the music by Vaginal Anomalies is not recommended at all for the lighthearted, right? However, if their savagery and gruesome lyrics (and name) don’t make you vomit, you’re more than welcome to pay them a visit on Facebook and to grab your copy of their infernal album sooner than later from the Necromance Records’ BandCamp page or webstore, as well as from the Base Record Production’s BandCamp page. This is crude, primeval and extremely brutal Death Metal infused with Goregrind elements, with no shenanigans nor any artificial elements, with Vaginal Anomalies clearly wanting to send us all fans of heavy music a clear message that their home country and of course the rest of the world are not a place for love, peace and butterflies, but for sheer violence viciously turned into the ruthless Death Metal played by those two depraved Mexican metallers.

Best moments of the album: Ditch Full of Dismembered Corpses, Improper Desires to Fornicate Satan and The Vulgar Pedophile Incitement of the Priest.

Worst moments of the album: Whore Maniac.

Released in 2020 Necromance Records/Base Record Production

Track listing
1. The Embalming Process in Decomposition Bodies 3:32
2. Ditch Full of Dismembered Corpses 2:19
3. Poncigrind 1:42
4. Improper Desires to Fornicate Satan 2:25
5. God Advise Me to Torture and Kill 2:33
6. Addicts to Disolve Torsos in a Bathub 2:04
7. The Vulgar Pedophile Incitement of the Priest 2:24
8. Whore Maniac 2:13
9. Violent Devotion to Kill 3:40

Bonus tracks
10. Internal Examination (Live) 2:31
11. Pelvic Infection (Live) 1:42
12. Placenta Abnormalities (Live) 1:36

Band members
Cheve – vocals
Pozolegrind – guitars, bass, drum programming, vocals

Guest musician
Alex Gama – vocals on “The Vulgar Pedophile Incitement of the Priest”

Album Review – Dormanth / IX Sins (2018)

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Succumb to the dark side with the well-crafted and entertaining collection of crushing, riff-oriented Doom and Death Metal tunes by an old school act hailing from Spain.

Born in Bilbao, Spain in January 1993 after various experiences of its components in different bands, such as Nopresion, Beer Mosh and Elbereth, Melodic Doom/Death Metal act Dormanth went on an almost 20-year hibernation period in 1996 after releasing their debut album Valley of Dreams, in 1995, breaking the silence in 2015 with the release of the EP Voice of the Soul… Under the Tears of Sun, followed by the full-length album Winter Comes, in 2016. And it looks like Dormanth are on a roll on this second phase of the band, as their brand new album, titled IX Sins, is an extremely well-crafted and entertaining collection of crushing, riff-oriented metal tunes that will certainly drag your soul into pitch black darkness.

Comprised of founding member Oscar del Val on vocals and guitar, Javi Prieto on lead guitar, newcomer Miguel A. Richart on bass and Victor Franquelo on drums, Dormanth are an unstoppable Extreme Metal machine in IX Sins, delivering nine pestilent, heavier-than-hell compositions (or maybe we should call them “sins”) that will please most fans of the darker and more lugubrious vibe of the fusion between Doom and Death Metal. Furthermore, Spanish artist Igor “Mugi” Mugerza (Abigor Artwork) is again the artist chosen for the cover art concept, with the nine knights (clearly inspired by the Nazgûl, from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings) representing all the heaviness and obscurity present in the music by Dormanth.

Oscar and Javi begin their Black Metal-riffage onrush in the opening track Human Claim, a pounding funeral march that tells us all darkness is about to take over our minds in a dense and potent hybrid of Doom and Death Metal with melodic influences. After such strong start, the strident sound of guitars keeps permeating the air in another atmospheric and melodic composition titled Lamb Or Wolf, with the band’s guitar duo accelerating their riffs until all hell breaks loose. Moreover, the vocals by Oscar get more putrid and devilish as the music progresses, while Victor becomes the band’s driving force with his potent beats. And in Let See The Wood, we’re treated to a frantic and furious Death Metal extravaganza with Thrash Metal and Hardcore influences where Victor and Miguel simply demolish their instruments. Hence, the nonstop violence contained in this gripping tune will certainly set the crowd on fire during their live performances.

Slowing things down considerably and venturing through the realms of modern Doom Metal, the band offers the listener Like Ice, keeping a solid pace and providing Oscar exactly what he needs to fire his deep, enraged growls; followed by Promised Land, where Dormanth get back to a more piercing mix of Death and Black Metal. During its almost five minutes, Victor delivers from blast beats to rhythmic, galloping moments, while the band’s guitarists keep the sound cohesive and gripping with their riffs and solos. And the sixth “sin” of the album, entitled Soul Shall Die, once again leans towards more old school, sluggish Doom Metal, with Oscar growls being in perfect sync with Victor’s steady beats.

Misery is a potent, galloping tune with tons of shredding and demented beats and fills, showcasing an almost-Black Metal sound mixed with old school Death Metal and, as a consequence, reminding me of some of the creations by Swedish masters Unleashed; whereas The Skin, the second to last display of blackened sounds by Dormanth, begins with an old school guitar solo before all instruments explode, generating a menacing atmosphere, while its second half is a feast of shredding and blast beats intertwined with an eerie female voice. And closing this obscure album we have another threatening tune named Sands Of Frozen Tears, yet again displaying the band’s solid instrumental and Oscar’s deep growls, albeit not as vibrant as the rest of the album.

The dark and sinister realm of Dormanth can be better explored by visiting their Facebook page, and if you want to put your hands on IX Sins simply go to the band’s BandCamp page, to the Necromance Records’ Big Cartel or webshop, to the Dead Sheep Productions’ webshop, or to Discogs. Dormanth are also beyond ready to hit the road and bring to the stage the same energy and darkness flowing from their music, with the only difference being that their live lineup has studio bassist Miguel on the lead guitar (instead of bass), Isma Fernandez on bass, and original member Javi Martinez on drums, but of course still spearheaded by Oscar on vocals and guitar. As a matter of fact, it doesn’t really matter if you prefer staying home to listen to their studio version of the songs or if seeing them live is what really excites you, as long as you succumb to their captivating fusion of Death and Doom Metal.

Best moments of the album: Lamb Or Wolf, Let See The Wood and Misery.

Worst moments of the album: Sands Of Frozen Tears.

Released in 2018 Necromance Records/Base Record Production/Dead Sheep Productions

Track listing  
1. Human Claim 4:02
2. Lamb Or Wolf 4:29
3. Let See The Wood 4:46
4. Like Ice 4:38
5. Promised Land 4:55
6. Soul Shall Die 4:08
7. Misery 4:26
8. The Skin 4:32
9. Sands Of Frozen Tears 5:02

Band members
Oscar del Val – vocals, guitar
Javi Prieto – lead guitar
Miguel A. Richart – bass
Victor Franquelo – drums

Live members
Oscar del Val – vocals, guitar
Miguel A. Richart – lead guitar
Isma Fernandez – bass
Javi Martinez – drums