Listening Experience of the Month (April 2000) - Diabolique 'Butterflies'

Hey, what the hell is this?! At last something good coming out on Necropolis?! Yes, my friends, it's true. The label whose good to bad release ratio was always around 1 to 10 (cheers for releasing mighty Dawn, but what about all those shitty Swedish black/death/trash bands?!) finally strikes back with one outstanding (the album in question) and one pretty good releases (Triumphator's 'Wings of Antichrist'). As some of you already know, Necropolis Records' big cheeses decided that it was time for their company to become somewhat a diversified record label, and as a result they opened up a couple of sublabels and signed a lot of crappy death, grind and punk/garage rock bands. But who cares about all the drawbacks, if this decision to be open-minded brought us Diabolique's new MCD 'Butterflies'?! Definitely not me. I am not sure if Diabolique is more of a real band or just a project of one Christian Wahlin (aka Necrolord), and I also have to confess that I have never heard their previous two albums which were quietly released on Black Sun Records, but this latest MCD is nothing short of being one of the best records that have graced my ears early this year. Although intended almost solely as an appetizer for their upcoming full-length, this MCD, nevertheless, serves as a tasteful and complete dinner for two if you ask me. Consisting of six songs and clocking at about 24 minutes, 'Butterflies' never becomes boring and, as a matter of fact, only grows stronger towards its end. Necropolis carefully warns us that this album will not please your average metaller, and compares their newest signing to bands such as The Cure and Joy Division; and while I can, certainly, agree with the first statement, because it's quite apparent that what guys from Diabolique do will be met with a lot of ridicule by your traditional brutality lovers (especially here, in US, where people, in general, seem to understand very little what good music is about), I am not sure

if I can confirm validity of the second one, as I have not listened to a whole lot of either one of the aforementioned forefathers of melancholic goth-rock. In my opinion, Diabolique sounds somewhat in the vein of newer Anathema and Katatonia, but such comparisons only give you an overall picture of this band's music. For people who strongly despise both bands mentioned above for playing music which is too commercial and easily accessible, I can only say one thing: don't bother listening to 'Butterflies', because songs on this one are even softer and more bittersweet when what you can find on either 'Tonight's Decision' or 'Judgment'. Music here is very simple and without any twists and turns that occasionally appear on, say, Anathema's creations. In other words, these guys don't blast, they don't show their playing abilities by sacrificing song structures, you could even say they don't play Metal (what a blasphemy!)...they simply create sad catchy songs after listening to which you will find yourself crying in the bathroom of your apartment (or house if you happen to be a rich bastard, haha!). Well, I'm, certainly, exaggerating a little bit, but you get the idea. Necrolord does not possess the greatest vocal ever (which, in my opinion is not even necessary for this kind of music), but I really like his mournful, melancholic voice of a person who just lost his beloved one :-). As for the lyrics, I say they are the best in the context of what this band is trying to achieve. Very simple, but heartbreaking at the same time, I certainly prefer this type of poems over overly complex and hardly comprehensible verses of some metal bands (Dark Tranquillity, take a note!). The interesting thing, however, is that while music on this MCD is quite sorrowful, it still transmits a great deal of hope and belief, which creates a very beautiful atmosphere throughout the whole listening. Just check out 'Summer of Her Heart', and you will understand what I'm talking about. So if you are open-minded, like tearful music, but not ready for a suicide yet, take a listen to Diabolique and remember how good your life had been...before it happened... Andy.