Being that I’m allergic to the fuckers, a single wasp flying in my vicinity is not my favorite thing of all time. I wish them the best in the future endeavors and all, but I would like them nowhere near me. If I encountered a swarm of wasps, I likely would just have a panic attack and fall prone, and I can’t imagine that sound. Or maybe I can.
Diabolic Oath is a lot to handle on any level, and on their new EP “Unholy Barbaric Hymns,” they come across like enough wasps to blacken the sky. The unholy trio of bassist/vocalist Ominous Void, drummer/vocalist Chthonic Conqueror, and guitarist/vocalist The Temple blisters with four tracks and 24 minutes the spread charnel black metal death in a merciless manner. It’s the ideal setting for anyone who’s ever wanted to be piledriven into a thick, uncompromising board of nails.
“Emblazoned Upon Ebony Winds” blows in and obscures, dizzying as howls snarl, sooty ferocity caking your lungs. The pace twists and bludgeons, growing rubbery and strange, nasty wails decimating, heated fury and bizarre melodies fully warping. “Radiant Mars, Reveal the Spear of War” opens with war march drumming, darkness swirling, growls mangling as the echoes thicken. Dramatic torture ripples as guitars slide into humidity, the stomping feeling like it’s squashing your guts. The pace blazes as a confounding aura dawns, blurring into oblivion. “Within the Jaws of Lecherous Fire” crunches as growls smear, the playing scorching as spiral madness makes the room spin violently. Guitars warp and melt brains, laying waste as fires burn and crackle, choking you out with ash. Closer “Vomiting Flames in Rapturous Conflagration” opens with drums encircling, the playing grinding as the tempo mauls slowly, the growls engorging and choking on blood. The playing drills as guitars stretch and stagger, everything thickening into a black goo, darkening as the vocals hollow eyes.
“Unholy Barbaric Hymns” is a title that perfectly encapsulates this vicious new EP from Diabolic Oath that continues their litany of profane creations. Their brand of black metal feels like being locked in a void, your mind bombarded with inhuman sounds that eat away at your bruised psyche. This is a beast with which to contend, and there is no way to take on this music without sustaining a few wounds yourself.
For more on the band, go here: https://diabolicoath.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://sentientruin.com/releases/diabolic-oath-unholy-barbaric-hymns
For more on the label, go here: https://sentientruin.com/
Meat Mead Metal 