Album: Diablo - Eternium (2004)11 tracks / 43:43
Acquired: October 2007
Vocals, guitars: Rainer Nygård
Guitars: Marko Utriainen
Bass: Aadolf Virtanen
Drums: Heikki Malmberg
I discovered Diablo some six or seven years ago, back in high school. Well, actually, I have never really discovered Diablo; I just heard a couple of their songs that were to my liking. Some time later I learned that all these songs were from their then-recent album, Eternium, and thus I discovered the rest of the album too. But it never really went past that. Later on I have heard some Diablo songs that aren't from Eternium, but none of them so far have been that different from the songs on this album, so I haven't had any real need to discover the band more; I've been pretty content with this album.
I bumped into a second-hand copy of Eternium in 2007 with a very reasonable price (like 3 or 4 euros), and I bought it without a second thought. Even though Diablo has never been a band of great importance to me, I guess this album deserves its place in my CD collection, what with its somewhat enjoyable metal tracks and all.
1. Symbol of Eternity (3:54)
A distant Henry Theel -loan turned into a Finnish tango opens the album, which suddenly turns into a crushing Diablo songs. The basic Diablo elements are all there: verses with offbeat chugga-chuggah-riffs, melodic choruses, aggressive vocals, intensive drumwork, everything.
A semi-catchy song with surprisingly nice groove. Not the best one, but surely one I can easily enjoy.
9/10
2. Read My Scars (3:42)
The theme riff that opens the song is rhythmically rather odd, and I guess Meshuggah-influences are haunting just behind the corner. The verses are cool with their screeching lead guitar lines, but Rainer Nygård's screams don't always cut the mustard.
The song has a short section before the guitar solo for a drum-solo-ish part in which Heikki Malmberg showcases his talents.
"Read My Scars" has some pretty neat moments, but as a whole it really isn't my favorites - probably because of the pretty predictable and repetitive chorus.
7/10
3. Queen of Entity (3:51)
Opening with a short guitar intro that brings me back to Metallica's "Blackened", but unlike in ...and Justice for All, you can really hear the bass rumbling when the song starts - at least when the guitars are playing.
But that's where the similarities end; this is not thrash metal delivered at break-neck speed, this is immensely heavy, groovy metal. At least until the chorus, in which the machine gun fire of two bass drums take lead with female vocals.
Though the song feels a bit too short, as if ending too soon, it has much parts that create interest and variation when compared to the regular Diablo tracks: sudden double bass drums, female vocals, and even a disco-style hi-hats emphasizing the weak beats. A nice rumbler.
8/10
4. Lovedivided (4:26)
Opening with an open string melody by Marko Utriainen that bows to the direction of Gothenburg melodeath bands, this song quickly opens to be another Meshuggah-esque track, especially the low guitar djents in the pre-chorus sections.
Despite the angry vocals deliver their message with intensity, they don't sound that great but more like strained tough-guy grunts, which I don't fancy that much.
Nevertheless, "Lovedivided" is one of the strongest efforts on the album, with its simple yet memorable chorus, recognizable melodies and nicely varied sections. Simple but effective metal, someone could say.
10/10
5. Faceless (3:19)
Faster and aggressive, breakdown-heavy song that as a retrospect seems to be a predecessor to the modern American thirteen-in-a-dozen metalcore bands. There are both those rapid, muted guitar riffs doubled by kick drums and low-and-deep chugs more reminiscent of slower Meshuggah tracks, but the song is pretty dull and lacks something that would really make the song interesting. The only thing that actually makes this sing better than those crappy modern metalcore songs is the guitar work of Marko Utriainen, and especially his distinctive soloing style.
6/10
6. The Preacher (3:14)
Opening like a regular stadium-sized metal anthem, the song is really kickstarted with a grunt that you can hear probably anytime and everywhere in Finland; "voi perkele!"
A regular song that delivers all Diablo has to offer: chugging riffs, intense drumming, deep bass, raging vocal grunts and distinctive guitar melodies. Nothing really special, yet this one's a good, tight package.
8/10
7. In Flesh (3:10)
A groovy, heavily syncopated riff works as the main motif of "In Flesh". Fierce, mid-tempo songs like these are the ones that really earn the "groove metal" label for this band.
Kicks ass and smacks other bodily parts around as well, and despite not being that special nor catchy, has still earned its place in this album.
7/10
8. Black Swan (4:40)
Growing from a haunting intro to a heavily syncopated chugga-chuggah metal song. For me, this song is a Diablo classic that has all their elements in their rightful places and they are just in right proportions each.
Especially the guitar solo is excellent - it's not a performance of technical superiority, but instead an awesome combination of surprising turns in melody, rhythm and harmony performed with a sense of style; it supports the harmonic structure of the song, really fitting it and making it many times better than it would be without.
10/10
9. Omerta (3:23)
Opening slowly with clean guitars, evolving into a neat instrumental track, this one feels as if it is a Diablo rendition of Metallica's "Call of Ktulu".
It rumbles deep in the register of low B, having cool, a bit subdued guitar leads, that are guiding the song throughout but still not being in the face of the listener all the time.
The last part of the song fades away with very Diablo-ish riffing that somehow remind me of the coda riffs of the metallica instrumental "Orion".
One of the most varied songs on the album, and the lack of vocals really fit the mood of the song, making it one of the best "Eternium" tracks.
10/10
10. Shape Shifters (4:13)
"Shape Shifters" glides seamlessly from the final notes of "Omerta". A bigger gear is kicked in as the song rumbles on with rage and a tempo slightly faster than usual.
The verses are not that special, but the fierce half-time chorus does a lot, as well as the vigorous solo/mid-section. Not one of the best, but also not from the weakest end either.
7/10
11. Reptiles (5:19)
The slow and rumbling "Reptiles" closes Eternium. Its drawback is that it seems to rely more on churning riffing than on guitar leads, which probably results in its downfall, because even though it has several different sections, in the end they sound pretty similar, because they are mostly just nothing more than riffing.
Even the guitar solo fails to raise any interest, it being less melodic and more just rapid notes in succession. A pretty bland song to close the album.
6/10
***
Final verdict
Though Eternium is far from my favorite metal albums, it is still surprisingly cohesive package with tight and fierce metal. Full of low, chugging and churning riffs embellished with ofttimes clever and interesting guitar leads, their style of groovy and churning metal often manages to delectate me.
Probably their weakest spot lies in Rainer Nygård voice. At times his fierce shouts and growls are good, or even outright great, but most of the time his lyrics are delivered in a strained, tough-guy-style grunting, and combined with Finnish not-that-perfect pronunciation of English, they are not that pleasant nor impressive when compared to Rainer's vocalist peers.
Vocals aside, this album is very good and intensive, and very worthwhile of checking out especially for fans of Meshuggah and Gothenburg melodeath bands, due to Diablo's uncanny ability to combine the low, djent-y riffs with interesting melodies and harmonies. The songs of Diablo may not be as technical as the works of these aforementioned Swedish counterparts, but yet they frequently work like magic.
I bumped into a second-hand copy of Eternium in 2007 with a very reasonable price (like 3 or 4 euros), and I bought it without a second thought. Even though Diablo has never been a band of great importance to me, I guess this album deserves its place in my CD collection, what with its somewhat enjoyable metal tracks and all.
1. Symbol of Eternity (3:54)
A distant Henry Theel -loan turned into a Finnish tango opens the album, which suddenly turns into a crushing Diablo songs. The basic Diablo elements are all there: verses with offbeat chugga-chuggah-riffs, melodic choruses, aggressive vocals, intensive drumwork, everything.
A semi-catchy song with surprisingly nice groove. Not the best one, but surely one I can easily enjoy.
9/10
2. Read My Scars (3:42)
The theme riff that opens the song is rhythmically rather odd, and I guess Meshuggah-influences are haunting just behind the corner. The verses are cool with their screeching lead guitar lines, but Rainer Nygård's screams don't always cut the mustard.
The song has a short section before the guitar solo for a drum-solo-ish part in which Heikki Malmberg showcases his talents.
"Read My Scars" has some pretty neat moments, but as a whole it really isn't my favorites - probably because of the pretty predictable and repetitive chorus.
7/10
3. Queen of Entity (3:51)
Opening with a short guitar intro that brings me back to Metallica's "Blackened", but unlike in ...and Justice for All, you can really hear the bass rumbling when the song starts - at least when the guitars are playing.
But that's where the similarities end; this is not thrash metal delivered at break-neck speed, this is immensely heavy, groovy metal. At least until the chorus, in which the machine gun fire of two bass drums take lead with female vocals.
Though the song feels a bit too short, as if ending too soon, it has much parts that create interest and variation when compared to the regular Diablo tracks: sudden double bass drums, female vocals, and even a disco-style hi-hats emphasizing the weak beats. A nice rumbler.
8/10
4. Lovedivided (4:26)
Opening with an open string melody by Marko Utriainen that bows to the direction of Gothenburg melodeath bands, this song quickly opens to be another Meshuggah-esque track, especially the low guitar djents in the pre-chorus sections.
Despite the angry vocals deliver their message with intensity, they don't sound that great but more like strained tough-guy grunts, which I don't fancy that much.
Nevertheless, "Lovedivided" is one of the strongest efforts on the album, with its simple yet memorable chorus, recognizable melodies and nicely varied sections. Simple but effective metal, someone could say.
10/10
5. Faceless (3:19)
Faster and aggressive, breakdown-heavy song that as a retrospect seems to be a predecessor to the modern American thirteen-in-a-dozen metalcore bands. There are both those rapid, muted guitar riffs doubled by kick drums and low-and-deep chugs more reminiscent of slower Meshuggah tracks, but the song is pretty dull and lacks something that would really make the song interesting. The only thing that actually makes this sing better than those crappy modern metalcore songs is the guitar work of Marko Utriainen, and especially his distinctive soloing style.
6/10
6. The Preacher (3:14)
Opening like a regular stadium-sized metal anthem, the song is really kickstarted with a grunt that you can hear probably anytime and everywhere in Finland; "voi perkele!"
A regular song that delivers all Diablo has to offer: chugging riffs, intense drumming, deep bass, raging vocal grunts and distinctive guitar melodies. Nothing really special, yet this one's a good, tight package.
8/10
7. In Flesh (3:10)
A groovy, heavily syncopated riff works as the main motif of "In Flesh". Fierce, mid-tempo songs like these are the ones that really earn the "groove metal" label for this band.
Kicks ass and smacks other bodily parts around as well, and despite not being that special nor catchy, has still earned its place in this album.
7/10
8. Black Swan (4:40)
Growing from a haunting intro to a heavily syncopated chugga-chuggah metal song. For me, this song is a Diablo classic that has all their elements in their rightful places and they are just in right proportions each.
Especially the guitar solo is excellent - it's not a performance of technical superiority, but instead an awesome combination of surprising turns in melody, rhythm and harmony performed with a sense of style; it supports the harmonic structure of the song, really fitting it and making it many times better than it would be without.
10/10
9. Omerta (3:23)
Opening slowly with clean guitars, evolving into a neat instrumental track, this one feels as if it is a Diablo rendition of Metallica's "Call of Ktulu".
It rumbles deep in the register of low B, having cool, a bit subdued guitar leads, that are guiding the song throughout but still not being in the face of the listener all the time.
The last part of the song fades away with very Diablo-ish riffing that somehow remind me of the coda riffs of the metallica instrumental "Orion".
One of the most varied songs on the album, and the lack of vocals really fit the mood of the song, making it one of the best "Eternium" tracks.
10/10
10. Shape Shifters (4:13)
"Shape Shifters" glides seamlessly from the final notes of "Omerta". A bigger gear is kicked in as the song rumbles on with rage and a tempo slightly faster than usual.
The verses are not that special, but the fierce half-time chorus does a lot, as well as the vigorous solo/mid-section. Not one of the best, but also not from the weakest end either.
7/10
11. Reptiles (5:19)
The slow and rumbling "Reptiles" closes Eternium. Its drawback is that it seems to rely more on churning riffing than on guitar leads, which probably results in its downfall, because even though it has several different sections, in the end they sound pretty similar, because they are mostly just nothing more than riffing.
Even the guitar solo fails to raise any interest, it being less melodic and more just rapid notes in succession. A pretty bland song to close the album.
6/10
***
Final verdict
Though Eternium is far from my favorite metal albums, it is still surprisingly cohesive package with tight and fierce metal. Full of low, chugging and churning riffs embellished with ofttimes clever and interesting guitar leads, their style of groovy and churning metal often manages to delectate me.
Probably their weakest spot lies in Rainer Nygård voice. At times his fierce shouts and growls are good, or even outright great, but most of the time his lyrics are delivered in a strained, tough-guy-style grunting, and combined with Finnish not-that-perfect pronunciation of English, they are not that pleasant nor impressive when compared to Rainer's vocalist peers.
Vocals aside, this album is very good and intensive, and very worthwhile of checking out especially for fans of Meshuggah and Gothenburg melodeath bands, due to Diablo's uncanny ability to combine the low, djent-y riffs with interesting melodies and harmonies. The songs of Diablo may not be as technical as the works of these aforementioned Swedish counterparts, but yet they frequently work like magic.
Score: 80/100
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