Infinity Through Purification＜限定盤/Colored Vinyl＞

It's no surprise to find out that Diabolic hails from Tampa, Florida, the birthplace of America's pioneering death metal scene in the 1990s. Unlike the European deathsters putting out a multitude of influential releases in the early '00s, Diabolic, on third album Infinity Through Purification, eschews melody for technical precision, buying wholesale into the whirlwind-drums/tangle-of-riffs songwriting school pioneered by fellow Floridians Morbid Angel. So while Infinity isn't one of the most original works in the genre, most extreme metal punters will find a few convincingly brutal moments early in the record's playing time: the dynamic tempo shifts and solid riffery of "Satanic Barbarism," the brilliant guitar leads of "Spiritual Transition," and the face-melting intro to lightspeed album-opener "From the Astral Plane ... Entwined with Infinity." Alas, after three tracks, Infinity walks the line between compelling and dull, the group's notable musicianship barely keeping the remaining tracks from becoming a blur of riffs, blastbeats, and blandly guttural vocals. Main reference points include the aforementioned Morbid Angel, Deicide, and the ugly grind of mid-period Napalm Death -- in other words, Infinity Through Purification is firmly and unapologetically rooted in '90s death metal, at times surprisingly good, and not without merit, but still a step behind its more innovative European peers. ~ John Serba