The US black/death horde DIABOLIC OATH is back with a second full-length that foresees only curses ahead, and the most wretched of nether regions are boldly immersed throughout its rites, with formulas to further distinguish a cacophonous breed they’ve devised using fretless wizardry. I can only imagine what it is like navigating such uncertain lines, but these warlocks have clearly mastered them as the chaos is wielded to intoxicating effect on Oracular Hexations, and there are many different forms to be noted among its crushing and chasmic reverberations.
The riffs are seething with deep and abrasive shadows, where an abyss manifests around masses that join upheaval with slow brooding malice along with traces of groove, and low-end tremolos carry a murkiness to favorably expand the unfathomable. A possession by more intricate malignities elevates the unsettling and turbulent nature of this vortex, including the dissonant conspiracies emerging between dual currents while frantic shapes rage across the otherworld, and madness is further induced across the up or downward tracers of certain tonal contortions. Some other conjurings gravitate toward epic points, with one developing notably on “Fragmented Hymns from the Globulous Cruciger,” and the way soloing capitalizes on its transcendence demonstrates the impact of leadwork as it tears another potent layer into the ferality.
The structures often take abrupt and unpredictable turns, and their disorienting influence is compounded by vocal attacks from all three members, which involve overlapped and alternating interactions between guttural and rasped monstrosities. Drumwork is also prominent in driving this savagery, with plenty of dexterous patterns noted among rhythms that ravage and groove alongside the riff mayhem, and all these elements align capably to produce some striking formations. One instance highlights the heaviest territories on “Gathering Hordes from the Outer Worlds,” where gutturals combined with a dense riffing and drum power all aim to suffocate, and a high atmospheric impact is achieved when ambient spirits begin emanating from the mass. The brutality becomes more alluring when different effects appear, like clear-stringed notes that somehow match the insanity of the surrounding distortions, and organ keys on the final track bring a haunting ritualistic tone before ending the ceremony in supreme malevolence.
Extremity is taken to greater arcane levels on Oracular Hexations, with concoctions of classic death metal and twisted contemporary darkness that also includes proper ambient doses, and the atmosphere conjured through these chaotic forces draws like a black hole toward the oblivion beyond. This work expands on the possibilities lying within DIABOLIC OATH’s unconventional craft, and its substance offers a satisfying trip into altered states that shouldn’t be overlooked.
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