DEVILISH IMPRESSIONS
"Diabolicanos: Act III Armageddon "
A while back, my colleague Dave lamented the shoddy drumming and production which had dampened his enjoyment of the debut of Poland’s Devilish Impressions. Seeing as how there's nothing so pleasing as a band seriously upping their act, let me introduce "Diabolicanos- Act III: Armageddon", the second outing from this 'avant-garde black metal orchestra', where memories of bad sound and loose percussion are firmly buried under a couple of tons of sharp, epic, triumphant metal.
Devilish Impressions' sound is still reminiscent of a mix of Dimmu Borgir and Emperor, with some lethal Polish death metal embellishments, but the keyboards which were so prominent before have been cleverly tamed. Although the synth tone on "T.H.O.R.N.S" threatens otherwise, over the course of the album keyboard usage oscillates between strong symphonic blasts which support the heaviness of the metal aspects, as on "Tales of Bablyon's Whore", and a gentler, more epic atmospheric feel, which adds a mournful aura to "Har-Magedon" and "Mass for the Dead".
Far more dominant are the guitars, which are punchy and varied, and combine the best of black metal's icy cacophony, as displayed on "Rex Infernal", and a more death metal choppy tightness, which is used to great effect on "I am the Son of God". This is buoyed up by some ferocious drumming and a strong, clear production, which allows the density of the sound to come through nicely. Quazarre's vocals are another definite bonus, as he switches with ease from an enraged shout to a classic black metal howl, with plenty of clean(ish) moments along the way adding impressive variety and intensity.
Overall, "Diabolicanos" is an outstanding example of symphonic black metal, and lives up to its creators description of 'extravagant, extremist, epic'. The musicianship and focus displayed here sets Devilish Impressions way ahead of the normal Dimmu wannabes, and the more savage and razor-sharp approach the band have taken, deciding that keyboards should no longer occupy a chief structural space, means that they should appeal to a broad range of metal fans.
Hellen Simpson