Diabolus Vobiscum is the debut EP from Pennsylvania's Outer Heaven, who have been lauded with comparisons to Coffins and Incantation. This five-track release certainly lives up to the hype, as the doom/death metallers incorporate elements of their classic influences into their modern approach to create a set of extremely dark and crushing tracks. Diabolus Vobiscum starts off with the slow, doomy dirge of "Lord of the Void," which features heavy sludge riffs and despondent, evil vocals.
The trudging grooves continue throughout "Unholy Strength" and "That Which Was Taken," before "Vile Rebirth" switches things up. The track seems to blaze out of the gates of hell, with harsh, speedy riffs and pummelling drum blasts. The epic seven-minute closer "Vault of Whispers" returns back to slow, plodding doom with a suppressed, ominous atmosphere and interspersed with moments of mid-tempo intensity and especially demonic shrieks. Outer Heaven's Diabolus Vobiscum is a solid debut release, featuring complex song structures executed with an air of effortless simplicity.
(Melotov)The trudging grooves continue throughout "Unholy Strength" and "That Which Was Taken," before "Vile Rebirth" switches things up. The track seems to blaze out of the gates of hell, with harsh, speedy riffs and pummelling drum blasts. The epic seven-minute closer "Vault of Whispers" returns back to slow, plodding doom with a suppressed, ominous atmosphere and interspersed with moments of mid-tempo intensity and especially demonic shrieks. Outer Heaven's Diabolus Vobiscum is a solid debut release, featuring complex song structures executed with an air of effortless simplicity.