Diabulus In Musica – The Wanderer (2012)

As one of the very few internationally recognized Gothic Metal bands from Spain, today we have Diabulus In Musica and their Napalm Records debut release “The Wanderer”. Greatly improving on their debut full-length “’Secrets”, the band consolidates their sound and delivers 12 tracks of brilliantly crafted Gothic/Symphonic Metal that will bring comparisons to Epica, Nightwish, etc.

Revolving around the heavenly vocals of Zuberoa Aznárez (we challenge you to say the name 5 times straight), “The Wanderer” feels a lot more mature than their previous effort in the sense that all tracks are more concise and everything shines at its own pace. After the bombastic intro, “Ex Nihilo” shines with heavy guitars, intricate drumming and very enchanting choir sections. This song indeed sounds a lot like Epica but when Zuberoa’s vocals kick in, it takes a whole new dimension. Very sweet and commanding, her voice is one of the signatures of the band and sounds like none other.

Experimenting with some electronic elements “Sceneries of Hope” is a very catchy track that is nicely surrounded with sweet vocals and a very entertaining melody. The band does a great job in crafting melodic foundations to each song, allowing them to be both aggressive and symphonic without getting to tiresome. The harsh vocals of tracks like “Blazing A Trail” provide a nice contrast to the female one, and deliver that extra level of aggression that other bands have been forgetting in recent years.

It is very hard to pick a favorite song in this release since most of the tracks are very self-standing and have their own unique quirks that make them very special. The choir arrangements of “Hidden Reality” are just majestic, but also the aggression of songs like “Shadow of the Throne” gives the band a very versatile approach to the genre, and makes “The Wanderer” a very exciting listening experience.

The band’s experimentation is not limited to electronic elements and on songs like “Sentenced to Life” they use flutes and some clean vocals, as well as other more obscure instruments in other tracks. The epicness of the arrangements on tracks like “Oihuka Bihotzetik” is just superb and shows the quality of the musicians behind this great band. The closing of “No Time for Repentance” is chilling, and will surely catch you by surprise. As the album closer the band chose “The Wanderer”, a very emotive and melodramatic track that shows the band’s acoustic skills and Zuberoa’s vocals in a different light.

As a whole, “The Wanderer” is an excellent release that deserves to be heard by everybody into Gothic/Symphonic Metal. The band has made a great effort with this release and has improved in almost every single aspect over their previous album “Secrets”. If you are ready for a great journey through 12 mystical songs, waste no time and get this excellent release.

Release: February 29th, 2012 (Europe) / March 6th, 2012 (USA)

Country: Spain