Diabolic - Excisions of Exorcisms
Deathgasm Records
Death Metal
9 songs (34:56)
Release year: 2010
Diabolic, Deathgasm Records
Reviewed by Kyle

Diabolic may never get the attention they deserve. And as far as I can tell from listening to their latest album, Excisions of Exorcisms, they’d like to keep it that way, thank-you-very-much. Not interested in technicality or originality so much as tried-and-true brutality, this Florida death metal foursome sticks close to their honorable influences as they have done for the past thirteen years now for this, their fifth full-length (their first in nearly seven years), and while it’s definitely a meat ‘n’ potatoes sort of experience, it’s a surprisingly enjoyable one. The Hot Topic kiddies will want to stay at home for this one; sickeningly over-polished production and breakdowns are nowhere to be found, as Diabolic is a band that’s old-school to the bone. I’m perfectly fine with that, and clearly so are they; they are playing for a lost generation of Deicide fans that the world has left behind. In other words: They’re playing for themselves, playing what THEY love, and they’re damn proud of it.

Right out of the gate Excisions of Exorcisms delves into unfathomable depths of fire and sin, as depicted on the remarkable cover art (Diabolic has always had great album covers, in my opinion), kicking things off with an unsettling opening riff after a somewhat common introduction in the album’s title track. But things whip into a firestorm quickly, blast beats and evil tremolo riffs leading the way, and while the music itself is simple, the sense of speed is nothing short of intense; thankfully, however, it‘s never overwhelming. Excisions of Exorcisms rarely slows down (except for in the track False Belief); it’s clear that these fellows have just as big of a place in their heart for thrash metal as death metal, as occasionally you can catch glimpses of that genre’s punky attitude in the fury, whether it be in the occasional riff, the frequent stretches of double-time drumming, or in the nonsensical soloing that’s an obvious (but welcome) homage to early Slayer (listen to the beginning of False Belief and try to tell me that the band didn‘t have South of Heaven in mind when they wrote that piece of music). An occasional blackened riff will also crop up every now and then; not very often, and maybe these riffs are unintentional, but to these ears they’re recognizable all the same.

You essentially know what to expect after listening to only a few minutes of Excisions of Exorcisms, but there are some moments to keep things from growing monotonous. The song Bloodwashed, for example, is sort of an oasis in disguise in this desert of lava, featuring lots of tempo / time signature changes and unconventional drum patterns that differ from the rest of the album; not by much, but enough to show that Diabolic has more tricks up their leather, spike-studded sleeve than you’d initially think. Other surprising moments are found throughout the album, but in the end, lack of originality is truly Diabolic‘s weakest joint here. Add in a vocalist that - even though he gets the job done fair enough - lacks any sort of defining grunts or shrieks, and you have an album that, though very enjoyable, is one that lacks a clear identity.

Old-school death metal fans, listen up: get Excisions of Exorcisms if you can find it. Though it shouldn’t really be top priority to have this at the top of your must-buy list, if you’re looking for a quick fix of old fashioned Satanic speed and brutality, Diabolic should scratch that blasphemous itch perfectly. Though the band still has yet to find a sound of their own (and perhaps they don’t want to), Excisions of Exorcisms is a fine album that’s neither polished nor unnecessarily raw; just the way this type of death metal should be. It’s just plain fun, in a way that only a metal fan could understand.

Killing Songs :
Bloodwashed
Kyle quoted 80 / 100
Other albums by Diabolic that we have reviewed:
Diabolic - Chaos In Hell/Possessed By Death reviewed by Goat and quoted no quote
Diabolic - Vengeance Ascending reviewed by Danny and quoted 78 / 100
Diabolic - Subterraneal Magnitude reviewed by Danny and quoted 80 / 100
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