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It’s well known that the French black metal scene hit a slump for many years, but in recent years it’s started to become interesting again, and Diablation (roughly translates to "Devilation" as "devil" is "diable" in French) is one of the bands we have to thank for that. I missed their debut, Allégeance, but if it’s anything like Par le feu, I’m looking forward to checking it out. This is raging, fast, brutal black metal that really takes the listener to the turn of the century when the French scene was on fire. The raspy vocals blend well in the music yet pierce the ears, the kind of stuff that grabs you. Despite the brutality, the album is actually quite melodic, but not of the pretty kind, rather creating a dark and cold atmosphere. It gets a little melancholic at times, yet without losing its brutality. The keyboards are used quite extensively but are not overbearing, really complementing the blazing, razor-sharp guitars and thundering drums. This is the kind of album that’s always welcome in my home.