Disloyal - Divine Miasmata

Disloyal is a death metal band from Poland, who formed in 1997. “Divine Miasmata,” is their fifth full-length album; they have also released a demo, a compilation and an EP.

“Divine Miasmata,” has a disturbingly distinctive tone.  It sounds cavernous and endless like a doom band but it has the fire, speed, energy and fury of death metal.  Its rolling devastation seems endless yet the songwriting is tighter than the hangman's noose.

The atmosphere matches the songs more so than many other albums I’ve heard this year.  It’s hellish without a doubt but there is a nervous, unhinged quality to the songs that push the album to insane sonic dimensions.

The guitars, conjured by Yahor and Artem, are laced with a dense tone, completely devoid of light.  Any melody presented by them only serves to put a dim light on their monstrous stalking. Blood sakes riffs, moldy passages, and bursts of unrelenting speed all find a place amongst the songs, oftentimes peppered with a flourish of solos.

The vocals are an instrument as well, such is their unbridled carnage that’s a passion born out passing for the extreme.  Konstantin’s death growls are deep but throaty enough to capture a raw, primal essence.  The screams are violent, threatening to rip the songs apart at the seams. 

Much of the band’s sound is attributed to Kolya’s bass and Jaro’s drums. The unbridled harrowing darkness seems out of the bass guitar like tendrils grasping for their next meal . The drumming straight up crush by providing a foundation that an earthquake couldn’t even move even while bringing a ton of furious atmosphere.  

The album begins with “Divine Miasmata,” and it serves as an instrumental intro that gives a glimpse into what will be experienced with the rest of the album.   

The intro slides effortlessly into the first full song, “Silent Revolution.”  The song is immediately towering, building itself as a stark monument with a flurry of guitar, and bass/drums that zero in as the pieces fall into place.  The gates of hell break loose, as a surge of hard rhythms change tempo, twisting the song into a distorted creature.  The solo around the four minute mark is surprisingly melodic but fits the mood. 

“1347-1352” offers more of what the band calls melody, dancing notes that build around the structure.  The drums race around, gathering the music and holding it tight to help unleash it around the 1:30 mark.  Sharp, biting rhythms fire off rapidly, trailing a blazing path for a slower, crushing tempo to make its way.   In one of the few very brief moments of rest the album offers, the song stops for half a second and then explodes in one of the most intense moments on the album.

“Betrayed Faith,” grabbed me immediately with it’s groove laden instruments.  If this song doesn't get your blood pumping, you are just dead.  Hell, it might not better as the song might just batter you back to life.  The drums are fantastic, complimenting the riffs at just the right spot to double down on what works but refusing to over do it for a second longer.   Deep clean vocals mix in with the growls at the halfway mark, a chilling effect.  

“Religion of Warfare,” begins as a frantic display with riffs, bass and drums bouncing off the charred walls as the vocals plow the way through.  The middle part is clever, beginning with groove and ending with a solo.  When the band comes out of the solo, it’s basically a steamroller of death.

The final song is “The Ascension of Abaddon,”  is powerful and encompassing, a fantastic way to end an already strong album. The odd melodies around the 1:41 mark are a highlight, taking their brutality to another world.  These slower, more atmospheric part work wonders, mixing expertly into their more fervent side to create a new beat entirely.

Disloyal’s “Divine Miasmata” is a supremely interesting album that hits all the sweet spots of what makes death metal so compelling.  This is starting the second half of the year for extreme metal on a high note that will be hard to beat.