Diablation- Irrévérence

Diablation is a black metal band from France, who formed in 2020. Their latest release “Irrévérence,” is their third full-length album.

This album is pure carnage, made of violence and the destitute fallout that results from it. There is an apocalyptic atmosphere hanging over each song. The dark, bleak energy is hectic making album maddening and teetering on the edge of another world ending scenario. 

It's just raw enough too. I can hear every instrument without having to strain my ears to do so but it's contained in a hellish mix.  

The keyboards are fantastic—I suppose I could call this symphonic but that wouldn't really describe the style. Instead of being bombastic and taking over the instruments, which is too often a problem with symphonic anything, the keys share their load equally with the other instruments. 

How many symphonic albums out there truly balance the keys with the guitars? This is both a keyboard based album and a riff based one—both instruments are satisfying.

Of course on the instrumental opener, “144000,” the keys are the only focus but even then they progress very naturally.

But that's really the key to the album’s enjoyment. It's a harrowing ride but nothing sounds forced–it isn't abrasive for the sake of it but the underground approach of the album needs it, craves it and uses it to a deadly degree.  

“Eternel,” opens the album with a classic black metal tone in the guitars. The drums are furious and they always keep the songs oppressive. Of course, the vocala are abrasive so after pairing all that with the keys, the result is a song that sounds like the soundtrack for end times.

“Par La Haine,” dials back on the tempo, revealing the band can look at a more grandiose picture when needed. The snare accenting the melodic guitars and keyboard is perfect…strike of lighting as a wanining moon rides through the sky.

Around the 1:40 mark, the drums and bass ramp up the energy, rolling the music from abstract to brutal and direct honesty. 

Around the 3:45 mark, the bass kicks off a passage where the band's blackened rage meets head first with its symphonic textures like lighting striking brackish waters.

The final song, “Le Dernier Roi,” ends the album on a cold note but it's an icy path wrought with violence. The keys blanket the song with darkly sweeping effigies of the night. Meanwhile the drums boil the song into a furious froth. 

Diablation's “Irrévérence,” is a fantastic black metal album that doesn't have any issues leaning on symphonic elements as it uses them to further their grim agenda.