Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Diamatregon - Crossroad [tUMULt - 2009]

French black metal band Diamatregon make speedy and grim blacked metal with dips into blacked post-rock and punk edger’s along its way. The bands sound is both tied to the tradition of true black metal yet it’s progressive, it’s   memorable yet never safe & experimental but never too much so. Crossroad is the bands third album and it’s a highly consistent, grimly memorable slice of blacked metal craft.

Each of Crossroad's eight tracks are dense blacked constructions that at first seem fairly simplistic, memorable and grim; but over replays offer up shifting, textured and sonic detail and show themselves as the true devious beast they really are. The bands sound is built around blacked metal's unholy trinity of guitar, bass and drums- that’s topped off with effective and atmospheric grim vocal accompaniment that goes from rasping grim to  atmospheric grunts, down to bleak at the side of your ear demon talk.  Favourites are kind of hard to choose as each track has it’s own edge and slowly unveiling grim creative charm; but if forced here are a few of my present favourites are: Calvaire which starts out with mumbled grim theatrical chatter that rather brought to mind Devil Dolls Mr Doctor over chiming guitar Subtleties. Soon the track kicks into its stumbling yet atmospheric riff proper; and what a great and blacked slowed punk meets black metal groove it has. With wondering bass line and blacked atmospheric grace with the lead singer piping in with grim yet slightly harominc mummbles and theatrical chatter. Later on the guitars and vocals swirling into this wonderfully grim droning soup that has this didgeridoo  gone  grim type quality to it. The track exits with amassing of guitar tones, church bell tolling and blacked wind roar-making one of the most effective use of churches bells since Metallica’s For whom the Bell tolls. Another present favourite comes in the form of track two Terror & Warfare which starts off with this bulldozer like bass and drum roll that’s suddenly overrun by a swirling horror sting sounding guitar tone. Then the track tracks hammers in fully with it’s ferrous yet garage lined blacked riff; that’s edged with singing guitar burns, clamouring drums, muffled vocal rasps. All to a track make that perfect rocks between the between furious lo-fi grimness,  grand dark horror atmospherics and memorable mettlic riff matter.

Last Year tUMULt label gave us one of the black metal albums of the year in the form of  Pyha’s - The Haunted House and with Crossroad they’ve unleashed one of this years black metal highlights. Don’t expect it to knock you out with it’s weirdness or odd take on the black metal genre; but over time you’ll see more creative and unusual shifts, tones and angles with in the tracks and that’s what makes this such great and rewarding record.

Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5

Roger Batty
Latest Reviews

Diamatregon - Crossroad
French black metal band Diamatregon make speedy and grim blacked metal with dips into blacked post-rock and punk edger’s along its way. The bands sound is ...
140725   Pierre Bastien & Michel Banab...
110725   Alternative TV - Direct Actio...
110725   Theme - Meditations on Space,...
110725   Pitchshifter - Peel Sessions...
100725   John Scott - Symptoms OST
100725   Torsofuck - Feasting On Carve...
100725   Dachra - Dachra(VOD)
100725   Transmission - Transmission( ...
100725   Up! - Up!( Blu Ray)
100725   Jack The Ripper - Jack The Ri...
Latest Articles

Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sharp t...
It’s fair to say the Sharksploitation genre is often tried, tested, and to be honest, tired. Fear Below is a 2025 Australian film that tries to do some...
180625   Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sha...
280525   The Residents - Visits From T...
090525   Ennaytch - Of walls, abused ...
150425   Dead, Dead Swans interview - ...
110325   Sebastian Tomb - Walls of unb...
040225   Alien Sex Fiend - Possessed B...
231224   Best Of 2024 - Music, Sound &...
191224   Splintered - Somewhere Betwee...
031224   Shane Ryan-Reid - Coerced and...
221024   Whore’s Breath - life’s h...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2025. Twenty four years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom