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Deluge
Diluvial Sorcery
Hammer & Anvil Wrekords/Independent

'Diluvial Sorcery' is local metal band Deluge's first full-length release since 1999's '...Of Plague and Conquest', and proves a very different beast from its predecessor: perhaps not surprisingly given that the band now has radically different line-up. Whereas Deluge's earlier material was quite raw and deathly, the group now plays majestic symphonic blackened metal very much like that of the likes of Emperor.

Four of the six tracks that make up 'Diluvial Sorcery' are sweeping epics, the longest the ten-minute-long opening piece An Immortal Union. The material tends to alternate between fast, aggressive sections and considerably more mellow, melodic stretches (the second track, The Serpent, contains a couple of particularly pleasant quieter interludes) and is very atmospheric overall. The vocals show similar variation, vocalist Gregor Pikl frequently screaming them yet just as often delivering them in a pleasantly sonorous voice. With its new line-up, the group has incorporated keyboards - something missing from its first release - into its material, and this new element works very well: a particular highlight being a section of ivory-tinkling that brings the track Burn to an end.

One track that differs significantly from the others is To Echo Through The Ages. At about two minutes it's the shortest piece on the CD and almost an instrumental, its lyrics consisting of but one line (preceded by a couple of suitably ghastly screams). Lacking the symphonic elements of the other entries, it opens with a fairly protracted section of gentle guitar strumming before considerably heavier music kicks in.

It's certainly interesting to see how much this band has changed since its early days, but Deluge have managed to skilfully combine many diverse elements in this opus, and the overall package proves a highly polished piece of work that should be greatly enjoyed by aficionados of symphonic black metal.

James Brazel

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