There isn't much to Naglfar's second offering 'Diabolical'. All the elements that make up the music on this album follow with the aesthetic standards that are adopted by mostly ALL the bands in the 'melodic' black metal genre. I'm not saying it's a BAD album, in fact, 'Diabolical' is a solid piece of melodic black metal work. What I am saying, is simply that the musical ideas presented here by Naglfar are fairly simplistic, straight-forward expressions derived from the established standards of melodic black metal, everything from the minor chord progressions and repeated structure, to the screamed verse/chorus lines and drum tempos. The overall music has a strong cut-n'-paste feel....what I mean by that, is that the 'flow' of the music is diminished because of the structure of the riff pieces....for example....

riff 1, riff 2, riff 1, riff 2, riff 1 w/verse, riff 3, riff 2, riff 1 w/verse, riff 3 Chorus, riff 4, solo...etc....

....the formulaic nature of the structure of the songs is what turns me off, but that's just my preference, plenty of bands have this formulaic feel to their music but that doesn't necessarily mean that the creative quality of their music is flawed. This style of songwriting lacks a flow and unpredictable nature that I love. Bands like this aren't meant to be analyzed deeply, the nature of the music doesn't really give your ears the privilege of subtle, deeper discovery. Straight-forward and on the surface is the name of the game here!

The guitar riffing of Naglfar isn't mind-blowing or very challenging at all, but I don't mean that in a way that undermines their musical ability or the quality of their material. Simplicity is a strong form of expression and can be quite effective, and Naglfar uses this to their advantage. The riff ideas consist of almost exclusively power chord/fifth and minor bar-chord ideas, building an aggressive, dark, and sometimes epic atmospheric foundation. The chord progressions are fitting for the movements of these aggressive pieces of melodic music, tonal in their approach and structure. Fans of the melodic extreme metal genres should be familiar with the riff expressions used by Naglfar...speed picking, minimal use of palm-muting (to accentuate transitions and embellish), the scalar melodic phrases in contrast with traditional metal-tinged chordal riffing, etc. There are heavy elements of Dissection in Naglfar's music, and I'm not just picking ANY melodic black/death band to compare to, there are distinct and obvious riffing similarities and ideas. There's also a slight touch of Dark Funeral in Naglfar...you'll notice this in some of the minor chord progressions.

In slight contrast with the aggressive blackened riffs, Naglfar embellishes on some occasions within the music with keyboards, choirs, vocal effects, etc. A good use of these inobtrusive elements is in the song "Into the Cold Voids of Eternity", there's a section somewhere in the middle that offers a breather from the onslaught, with subtle piano joined by a choir (actually performed in the studio with some members of the band, no keyboard choir effects here!), this piece is subtle and yet epic....this is my favorite track on the album, the chorus riff is awesome! The song "Blades" opens up with a slicing knife sound followed by some vicious chordal riffing and later on in the song, a sadistic chorus of screams, also performed in the studio, courtesy of some random tortured (probably drunk) souls. There's even a song that's exclusively keyboards called "A Departure in Solitude". The subtle use of keys and choirs are most welcome and definitely effective, adding a touch more to this work.

The vocal performance by Jens Ryden is amazing and one of the high points of this album. They are monotonous and can be irritating to some, but they are performed with a vicious seriousness and a tortured spirit. These are some brutal black metal rasps that actually sound convincing, aggressive, and the lyrics are intelligible and articulated very well. The lyrics deal with subjects that the extreme metal community is oh so familiar with... apocalyptic visions, summoning dark forces, a satanic spirit, and a tendency to hate the christian ideology and vision. Oh yes, that's a plus in my book!

There are two con's that flaw this album for me. One is a CHEESY spoken word at the end of the last track, a "hidden track", you know, those tracks that are about 3 minutes after the last song. The other con is the most damaging...the drumming. It's not THAT bad and can be easily overlooked, but the drummer is not very good and his techniques and performance are a major downside...if Naglfar had a REAL drummer that could bring all the glass in your house down with double bass and furious blasting, they would be supreme!

To conclude this review, Naglfar 'Diabolical' is an overall solid piece of aggressive, melodic black metal with a good, clear production that sharpens the edges of these unholy instrumental weapons. The brutality is met with an epic and triumphant flair that makes you actually want to pick up that weapon and head to your nearest religious gathering rather than hang a dark enveloping shroud of decadence over you and seclude you in your misanthropic chambers of social detachment. I recommend this especially to fans of the swedish melodic scene, a worthy addition for those with melodic tastes. Give this one a shot!






Recommended: Yes