Review by Felix on January 9, 2020.

For the very sensitive ears of my German compatriots, it might sound like a nationalistic slogan, but sometimes it’s just true and – fortunately! – free from any form of politics: tradition beats any trend. Yes, well written pieces that know their ancestors, their roots and their bloodline will always win against trendy, experimental and further sounds that understand innovation as an end in itself. So, raise the curtain for Diabolic Night, a German duo that brings back the spirit of the past, not only in view of their old-school-as-f**k artwork. Their first full-length appears as the melting pot of Teutonic metal culture. Here you find elements of

- Iron Angel somewhere between “Hellish Crossfire” and “Winds of War”
- Running Wild before Rolf began to play the Caribbean clown
- Nuances of Blind Guardian before they fell victim to their own operas
- the melodic harshness of early Paradox and, finally,
- the spirit of newer (retro) acts, for example Quintessenz.

The aforementioned bands have one thing in common and that’s no coincidence. They did (or do) not play pure thrash, pure this or pure that. For instance, remember the black atmosphere of “Gates to Purgatory” that met rather time-honored structures. Heavy Steeler, the head of Diabolic Night, is also a great cocktail mixer behind the counter of a decrepit den of thieves where old school metal rules the whole night long. His music is sometimes dark (“Crescent Moon Rise”), sometimes driven by harmonic leads (the title track) and sometimes the he and his companion take the shortest, straightest and fastest way (“Infernal Power”, “Sovereign of Doom”). Their songs have compact designs and – it does not come as a big surprise in view of their traditionalist approach – more or less conventional patterns. Perhaps we have to respect people who say that this kind of music does not guarantee the highest level of excitement, but don’t jump to conclusions. The ending of “Odyssey”, for example, is far away from being predictable. Maybe the hoarse vocals, which are supported by massive reverb, are pretty average, but all in all, Diabolic Night’s songs do not lack individuality.

Generally speaking, the smooth flow of the songs does not hurt their heaviness. Perhaps every now and then the solos are too opulent, but everything else is well balanced and the only thing that the band does not offer is boredom. The material scores with its lively vibes, the usual atmospheric gimmicks like funeral bells are well integrated and if the band is able to improve its (already well-developed) song-writing skills, they will be a real force to be reckoned with, at least in the German scene. They are not there yet, because their less speedy tracks do not fully achieve the class of their almost pure speed metal eruptions. But maybe that’s just a question of time. By contrast, the production is already on a top level. Beyond the Realm presents a warm, old-fashioned mix without repeating the recording mistakes of some old heroes. So, I hope you will enjoy the compositions of this album – and maybe it will happen that you think of Death’s “Evil Dead”, because the intro of “In Retribution” lies in close proximity to the beginning of the classic of Chuck (R.I.P.). Well, a few non-Teutonic details are allowed, if I am not mistaken. But don’t dare to violate the laws of tradition, even if you call yourself Chairthrower!

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on March 4, 2024.

It’s time to butcher the living and raise some dead, because I’ll be covering a unified output by the German death metal band Compulsive and polish death metal band Cry Of The Nile, with their split release The Voiceless Death Symphony which came out on March 31st, 2023 via A.D.G Records.

The Voiceless Death Symphony includes six tracks by Compulsive from their Welcome To My Killing Spree EP and eight tracks by Cry Of The Nile from their "Invocation" EP. Both bands on the split provide some form of wicked death metal, with each output of both bands being distinctive and separated from the other. All tracks by Compulsive are quite raw, merciless and oldschool, whilst tracks by Cry Of The Nile are just slightly polished and heading towards a more contemporary direction, whilst still being oriented towards a very merciless death metal output. Both bands do a pretty good job at handing out some nice banging tunes, with a lot of effort to take their performance to the most obscene and extreme but without trying to outmatch each other. It’s often possible that one band stands out in the split album more than the other, but here it seems that there is a strong sense of balancing that the two go hand in hand with one another, even if both of them vary in styles.

Like I said before, both bands provide their own distinctive death metal songwriting which is either very simple and oldschool like Compulsive, or perhaps more complex and contemporary like Cry Of The Nile. From start to finish, they keep the consistent death metal butchering on the same level all throughout the album, without the split release ever losing its strength or straying far off its course. I personally don’t like personal preferences with bands on split releases, because both bands seem to be in my league when it comes to death, but I think I might like Compulsive just a bit more than Cry Of The Nile, plus I really like their logo a lot because it reminds me of Carnage. When it comes to what the sound production of both bands is like, they actually do a very good job, with Compulsive being more 90’s death metal sounding whilst Cry Of The Nile being just slightly above oldschool and more modern sounding death metal.

I actually think that Compulsive and Cry Of The Nile did a good job at combining their strengths that resulted in this solid work of death metal for the fans to enjoy. I believe that it’s got everything you could ask for from tremolo picking riffs to blast beats and growls, but all presented differently by each band on the split release. If you’d like to give this one a go, feel free to do so.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on March 4, 2024.

It’s time to butcher the living and raise some dead, because I’ll be covering a unified output by the German death metal band Compulsive and polish death metal band Cry Of The Nile, with their split release The Voiceless Death Symphony which came out on March 31st, 2023 via A.D.G Records.

The Voiceless Death Symphony includes six tracks by Compulsive from their Welcome To My Killing Spree EP and eight tracks by Cry Of The Nile from their "Invocation" EP. Both bands on the split provide some form of wicked death metal, with each output of both bands being distinctive and separated from the other. All tracks by Compulsive are quite raw, merciless and oldschool, whilst tracks by Cry Of The Nile are just slightly polished and heading towards a more contemporary direction, whilst still being oriented towards a very merciless death metal output. Both bands do a pretty good job at handing out some nice banging tunes, with a lot of effort to take their performance to the most obscene and extreme but without trying to outmatch each other. It’s often possible that one band stands out in the split album more than the other, but here it seems that there is a strong sense of balancing that the two go hand in hand with one another, even if both of them vary in styles.

Like I said before, both bands provide their own distinctive death metal songwriting which is either very simple and oldschool like Compulsive, or perhaps more complex and contemporary like Cry Of The Nile. From start to finish, they keep the consistent death metal butchering on the same level all throughout the album, without the split release ever losing its strength or straying far off its course. I personally don’t like personal preferences with bands on split releases, because both bands seem to be in my league when it comes to death, but I think I might like Compulsive just a bit more than Cry Of The Nile, plus I really like their logo a lot because it reminds me of Carnage. When it comes to what the sound production of both bands is like, they actually do a very good job, with Compulsive being more 90’s death metal sounding whilst Cry Of The Nile being just slightly above oldschool and more modern sounding death metal.

I actually think that Compulsive and Cry Of The Nile did a good job at combining their strengths that resulted in this solid work of death metal for the fans to enjoy. I believe that it’s got everything you could ask for from tremolo picking riffs to blast beats and growls, but all presented differently by each band on the split release. If you’d like to give this one a go, feel free to do so.

Rating: 8 out of 10