Neither as influential as country mates In Flames, Dark Tranquillity Dismember and such and not as prolific as the likes of second tier acts like Centinex, Sweden’s Diabolical has been on the periphery of Sweden’s melodic death metal elite for over a decade now, with only two acceptable but hardly groundbreaking albums in 2001’s Synergy and 2003s A Thousand Deaths. So now with the genre itself in a state of stagnation or US injection core saturation how would this band’s third album fare?

Surprisingly well actually.

With a 5 year wait, a considerable line up change and a small, new Stockholm based label and a crisp but not overdone production, Diabolical appear to have finally peaked and delivered something that should garner them some attention while many of their peers tread water or sell out. While melodic death metal at its roots, there’s lots of other stuff going on as the band inject plenty of thrash poly rhythms, black metal and pure old school Swedish death metal into their sound. The end result is a pleasing and well done album from a veteran band that kinda needed this album to stay on the metal radar.

Apparently complete for some time, The Gallery of Bleeding Art drips with a mix of confidence and energy that only a veteran act with numerous other bands and outlets can deliver. From opening orchestral flocked opener “Caedes Profana”, you get the sense right off the bat that something good is about to happen and the following title track does not disappoint as five years of waiting is unleashed in a searing but controlled melodic death metal attack with some well sprinkled orchestral flourishes. “Extinction” rumbles with menace and some choral injections and a haunting mid song string segue. “Pavor Nocturnus” explodes out of the speakers giving the album a real mid point shot of adrenalin before “Vertigo” delivers more progressive textures and more mid paced synth flocked dramatics. The album holds steady for the next couple of songs with both “The One Who Bleeds” and “Religionism” delivering some masterful solo work, but less orchestral injections.

Album closer “Ashes IV” is an ambitious 10 minute track with a mid song acoustic bridge that probably should have been the songs ending as the last few minutes wanders a bit and fades rather than delivering a real climax, to an otherwise very impressive ‘comeback’ album from a band that seems to have got better with age and a layoff.

[Visit the band's website]

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