Album Review: Diabolical Raw - Elegy Of Fire Dusk
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
Having formed in 1998 under the name Diabolical, it wasn’t until 2019, after a gap of 12 years that part of the outfit reformed, adding the name Raw to Diabolical. Comprising musical mastermind Ozan Tunc and vocalist Ozan Erkmen, ‘Elegy of Fire Dusk’ is the second album by the Turkish duo, following on from ‘Estrangement’ in 2019. ‘Estrangement’ was a concept piece, focusing on a schizophrenic turned serial killer who struggles with his evil characters his mind creates.
‘Elegy of Fire Dusk’ follows a different theme, basing the album on a short story using Central Asian Turkish mythology. It’s a lengthy listen, over 76 minutes in length, with 13 songs. All instruments and orchestration are recorded by Tunc with lyrical input from Erkmen. Mixing and mastering completed by Tunc.
It’s an album that should appeal to fans of symphonic black metal. Sweeping movements, ample orchestration and huge cinematic scores wash over the listener in dramatic fashion. The intro ‘Revelations’ builds before the explosive ‘Commands of the Gods’ kicks in. Over the next 70+ minutes Diabolical Raw deliver a passionate and enthusiastic album which unfolds in stages. There’s plenty of orchestral elements which soar alongside the walls of shimmering riffs. ‘Wise Old Woman’ features clips from the movie ‘300’, which complements the track well.
As the story unfolds, the music becomes more elaborate. ‘Tilgen’s Fall’ sees more use of strings which rise above the black metal symphony that rages in the darkness. Erkmen’s gritty growls and ferocious roars explode against the black metal storm that rages below. It’s stirring stuff. The album contains two instrumentals, both melodic and calming in comparison to the howling forces around them. ‘Uprising’ is mellow and provides a welcome pause in the middle of the release. One is instantly drawn to the comparison with Indian death metallers Demonic Resurrection, although there are many differences as well as comparisons, the main one being the vocal delivery of Erkmen who veers wildly towards Demonstealer at times before dipping back to more traditional delivery.
The length of the album is, however, a bit of an issue. The tracks whilst well composed, tend to merge after about 40 minutes, and the length of the songs is such that the relentless barrage which is unleashed becomes more of an aural onslaught with too much repetition. How many blast beats does one need?
Although it does drag slightly, there are few other criticisms. It’s a little bit lacking in depth and the production is a bit thin – parts of it sound quite tinny and although Tunc is listed as the drummer, there are times when it feels more like a programmed machine is doing some
of the heavy lifting. There are plenty of good bits as well though. The double header ‘The Last War with Evil I & II’ are epic in stature and delivery, with the symphonic elements particularly impressive.
Overall, there’s plenty to enjoy if you are a fan of this genre. With the greatest of respect, it’s unlikely that Diabolical Raw will be challenging the big guns anytime soon, but this is still an album that is worth a listen.
