Review by Felix on August 20, 2023.

Mika Luttinen has been involved in a really great album, Impaled Nazarene’s “Ugra Karma”. But this does not mean that he has the license to produce bullshit. Unfortunately this is exactly what he did when it came to Diabolos Rising. Together with a veteran of the Greek scene, he wanted to create an extremely ugly cocktail of ritualistic, industrial aggro sounds. Don’t expect typical riffs, but quite annoying streams of keyboard lines, sometimes weird, sometimes harsh, mostly just expressionless. With a lot of good will, perhaps it is possible to say that the slightly oriental yet synthetic “Vinnum Sabbati” has at least a certain charm, but it is also not free from idiotic sequences (for example the percussion part which is accompanied by incomprehensible muttering while any form of melody is conspicuous by its absence).

But generally speaking, the album just delivers the computerized opposite of art. Experienced listeners of extreme metal laugh their heads off at the oh so nasty computer drum salvos with which the two jokers want to make an impression. Anyway, I walk through the boring landscapes of industrial noise, Luttinen plays the vocal God with a commanding yet completely irrelevant voice. Even the most intensive track “Sathanas Lead Us Through” (above all, please lead me through this so-called work of art unscathed) gives me more or less nothing, because it fails to trigger any emotions. The second “highlight” of “666” is “Sorcery – Scientia Maxima”. It’s melody line at the beginning is among the most ridiculous ever recorded and every beginner would be ashamed of himself for it, but as the song progresses, it reveals some harmonies that could work in the hands of competent musicians, for example on one of the late Master’s Hammer albums.

M-A lists the title track as “instrumental”, but - official complaint! - that’s a lie, because there are six minutes without any instruments and without any vocals. Just silence – haha, this is the best song here, so to say. Too bad that the closer wakes me up again with its stupid keyboard lines. Maybe its first half wants to bring the lousy album to a mild end, but it is just superfluous. And this is exactly the term that characterizes this stinker, this malicious caricature of a good music release. Bulldozer also had their electro period, but at least they knew they could not be taken seriously. Diabolos Rising probably actually thought their acoustic trash is really relevant. Mistake! If “penis rising” in front of a beautiful girl that loves you is the best thing you can experience, Diabolos Rising is more or less the exact opposite of that. Don’t know whether Luttinen shares my point of view.

Rating: 1.5 out of 10