Review by Felix on April 11, 2025.

Guys, what are you waiting for? Let's raise the flag(g) of Finnish black metal once more. Flagg's banner flutters in the wind since 2018, but the band itself also creates a strong breeze. Diabolical Bloodlust marks the third chapter in the history of the duo and it brings us another portion of Nordic black metal. This is great, even though Scandinavia is no longer as dominant as it was at the beginning of the second wave. Flagg seem to be most connected with great Swedish names, Pest and especially Dark Funeral, to be precise. This does not mean that their new release meets the classics of these two authorities on an equal footing. But honestly speaking, neither Pest nor Dark Funeral released always high class material.

Be that as it may, Flagg's "Let The Devil In" is called "Morningstar Rising". Just like Dark Funeral's almost soft black metal chartbreaker from "We Are the Apocalypse", the song spreads relatively melodic vibes and the whole number could have been sold to me as a previously unknown piece from lazy Lord Ahriman and his equally non-busy comrades. Never mind, it's a pretty cool track with some harsh sequences as well. I just do not understand its fade-out in the middle of a vocal line. Maybe Satan himself decided to stop here in order to satisfy his sadistic feelings. Stupid, stay in hell and burn your feet, hooves or whatever. Generally speaking, Diabolical Bloodlust is full of malignant fury, hellish aggression and some really intensive parts. The Finns do not shy away from barrage fire drums whenever they think they need them. Not only the opener and the title track underline this. But Flagg manage more atmospheric parts as well. "The Book Of Death" is far away from an ambient or overly moody track, but it combines atmospheric density and vehemence. While doing so, it makes the surprisingly strong first half of the album complete.

Flagg use keyboards sporadically in order to emphasize the aura of the tracks, but they only win the upper hand in the intro of "Throne Regained", a song which turns out to a highly explosive outburst in the further course. This track – just like the others – leave no doubt that the guitars dominate the sound, forming a condominium with the raw, partly distorted vocals that find the golden middle between hopeless despair and raging aggression. Having said this, the entire sound of the album expresses hate and mercilessness. Occasionally the band is at risk to get lost in its own fury, but all in all the restlessly attacking production sets the right frame for Diabolical Bloodlust. Even the ultra-violent monuments of malignancy called "In Famine And In Pestilence" does not lose its structure. It sounds like Nocturnal Breed after three drug cocktails. Indeed, the song borders on black thrash, but it is cool and it spits on innovation.

"Omega Dawn" heralds the sun set with some parts that build a bridge to black 'n roll, but some terrorizing high speed sections are not long in coming. Jumping back and forth between these two worlds gives the song a special appeal. An unexpected solo guitar also gets its due and 36 minutes after the start of the listening session, I cannot say that this album suffers from any severe shortcomings. The songs of the second half do not fully meet the exciting level of the full-length's first four pieces, but Flagg show what they can be capable of. Their high degree of song-writing skills, the instinct for a few melodies from time to time and the tight overall impression tell me that it can be no big mistake to check their previous albums too.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10