Do you know Diatheke? Me neither!
Visibly formed from the ashes of another project called Citadel in 2017, the band brings together John Wesley (bass/vocals, Dr. Brutacalypse), Peter Watson (vocals, Elephant Watchtower), Dallas McNeely (guitar) and Michael Osborn (drums/vocals) for the release of their debut album, …and the Word Was God, on Rottweiler Records.
While the album may seem short, boasting just six tracks, Progressive Metal shouldn’t be underestimated, as it totals an hour of sound that begins in Olympian calm with its opening track, The Creator, where keyboards accompany us until the arrival of the first riffs. Although they seem relatively accessible, they soon become stronger and more complex, taking advantage of the arrival of saturated vocals to establish more virulent moments infused with Progressive Death, but some moments remain calmer by far, taking advantage, for example, of clear backing vocals or worked leads to create a contrast with the jerky passages, then it’s softness again that keeps us company until we join The Deceiver where the sound is immediately much more aggressive. The sound is much heavier, both in terms of rhythm and vocals, and even the rare slow passages seem more distressing, but the fury and the patterns are still convulsive and elaborate, before returning to soaring tones on The Promise. The sound soon returns to violence and darkness, but with more contrast, such as the melancholy violins that enhance the rage before finally choking and slowing down, before giving way to a very gentle finale to let us breathe before we have to take in The Redeemer and its very thick mix. While the track isn’t necessarily so dark or virulent, the atmosphere is rather heavy and the almost constant energetic patterns make it rather difficult to integrate, but fortunately the harmonics come in from time to time to give it a lighter touch before exploding again. The Empowerment features cavernous vocal parts, but also a highly evolving and unpredictable rhythmic that doesn’t hesitate to switch from Old School Death to ethereal elements in no time, also placing moments where two cries blend naturally before returning to purely Prog moments. The album comes to a close with The Coronation, the longest track on the album, but also the one most infused with complexity, never hesitating to add clean vocals or tortured leads to the first part, separating it from the most violent part with a long keyboard break that seems to have condensed all the aggression, only to bring it out intact during the eruption, which does not, however, leave out any of its polished moments.
An hour’s worth of sound may put some people off, myself included. But I’m convinced that Diatheke remains a very good project, and that fans of chaotic patterns are in for a treat with …And The Word Was God!
75/100