DIABOLIQUE -

DIABOLIQUE - WEDDING THE GROTESQUE - BLACK SUN
As every metal fan knows Sweden is a rich pool of metal. Many good bands of all metal genres call Sweden home. Where there is good though, inevitably there is bad and one such group is the newly-found Diabolique which - some might have guessed from the album’s title - features metal cover artist and ex-Grotesque man Kristian Wahlin. He has teamed up with ex-Seance bassist Bino Carlsson. The history behind the members renders this more disappointing, seeing that both Seance and Grotesque specialised in what this formation is not: brain shattering metal. Further disappointing is the issuing record company which had had a great record (all puns intended) previous to this release. So what is so disappointing musically (seeing that Wahlin has made sure the packaging is top notch)? The four deliver music which above all is most pretentious. What comes out of the speakers is a Sisters Of Mercy-influenced dirge which attempts to bridge the gap between Tiamat and Cemetary: a woefully pompous mix that is explicitly boring and distinctly lacking in direction. Gothic might be the label given this band for marketing reasons, but goth fans rarely have time for ex-metal bands mimicking their style and I yet have to come across a metal fan who has confessed In public to being a gothic fan at the same time. As such, nice try guys and perhaps next time you'll keep it to yourselves in the rehearsal room. - Ali "The Metallian"