DIABOLICAL

Manifest your rage

...Welcome to the gallery of bleeding art, where I create pain on the canvas of death. Just close your eyelids- the torture comes from within. In this realm of mine the revenge can begin... These powerful words come from the first (and actually the title) track on "The Gallery Of Bleeding Art" album- the newest offering of Swedish death black metal hurricane bearing the name DIABOLICAL. Two days before their Scandinavian tour alongside UNLEASHED, BELPHEGOR and DEVIAN I got the opportunity to talk to Pär and Carl.

-Hell-o guys! Welcome to Metal Portal! How are things? What are the recent news from DIABOLICAL?
Pär: Hello Darek and Metal Portal! The most recent news would be rehearsing hard for the upcoming tour.

-Reading your biography I've just become aware of the fact that your previous studio album was released in...2002. What the f**k? Even METALLICA recorded their new piece of shit a bit faster! OK, these 6 years is nothing compared to GUNS & ROSES but still too long... What was the true reason for such a long break?
Pär: There are a bunch of reasons. Mostly record lablel-related ones, but also Sverker's increasing workschedule at Necromorbus Studios (www.necromorbusstudio.com). And also the fact that "The Gallery Of Bleeding Art" were supposed to enter the world in a more victorious way than the previous.

-And you succeded! As your bio noted, after „A Thousand Deaths” release you had some „record label related problems”. What went wrong with the Italians?
Carl: It is important that both band and label are on the same level and want to strive towards a common goal. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case back then. We had a deal for four albums actually, but after two albums they wanted to edit the contract. We could not accept this, so we left. A deal is a deal.

-The new album was released worldwide via Vici Solum Productions. Could you tell me some more about that record label? Frankly speaking, I have never heard of them. It seems you guys are the biggest fish in their catalogue. Are you their top priority act as well?
Pär: We got in touch with Thomas at Vici Solum at the end of summer in 2008 and the deal he proposed to us was the most suitable one for us. As far as top priority goes, we are promoted hard by the label.

Carl: And this time we do have a common goal and we are so far working very good together.

-Did you get any offers from bigger record labels? Just curious...
Carl: We got many offers, some decent some outrageous. In the end we found the offer from Vici Solum being the best one for us.

-Some other things have also changed since „A Thousand Deaths” album hit the market. First of all, I notice some line up changes. What happened to the line up that recorded „A Thousand Deaths”? Who are the new boys?
Pär: As I have been told, it somehow did not work out with that drummer, so the guys recruited drummer Carl Stjärnlöv. "The Gallery Of Bleeding Art" was recorded with him behind the drumset. As time passed Hasse Carlsson decided to focus on his other band In Battle (www.inbattle.se). That lead to Carl leaving the drumstool to focus on his primary instrument, the guitar. And after that I was introduced to the band. Further we needed to recruit another guitarist. Good musicians are really hard to find. But after some time we contacted Tobias Jansson. Sverker had recorded him at Necromorbus and he remembered him as a talented guy, so we gave him a call. It ended with him becoming a permanent member.

-Ugh, it's pretty complicated. OK, now get to the point. Fortunately, after these 6 years of doing- nothing you haven't forgotten how to kick hard and accurate. After a few listenings of your new album my bum is badly swollen and my neck almost broken. You guys did a great job! This is definitely your best work to date!
Pär: Well thank you. That was the response we were hoping for. We put much more effort into this album than the previous ones which we think can be clearly heard.

Carl: Being a perfectionist and having time may very well pay off. And so far, judging from the overall response to the album, that seems to be true!

-In my opinion ”The Gallery Of Bleeding Art” is a perfect example of amazingly technical yet still very direct and brutal release. There can be heard also some dark atmospheric parts that don't ruin that diabolical feeling and its brutality, fortunately. The album is built upon many segments, I mean all those various influences coming from death, thrash, black, heavy, doom...whatever. You gathered there all the best elements of metal, without going into any specific genre. It's a rare ability... how did you manage to overcome the limitations and achieve such a bloody great result?
Pär: I personally think that the main goal is to get rid of all the limitations. We focus on getting a blend of everything we like to listen to and get influences from. It doesn't matter which particular style or genre it is. But the underlying tone that reflects the creation is death.

Carl: At the same time it is important to try to stay within the boundaries of the sound you wish to establish and then try to do as much with that as possible. I think that is a big reason behind the fact that the album sounds homogenous.

-Since your music style presented on „The Gallery Of Bleeding Art” is pretty complex and diverse in its form, what are the most important element of your music style?
Pär: Death metal.

Carl: A more elaborate answer might be that we try to keep our music dark and with a certain nerve. The base is definitely made from death metal but to that we try to add complexity while still keeping a natural flow to the songs, we add melody without being sing-a-longish and on top of that we add elements like strings and acoustic guitar parts to give the compositions further dimensions.

-If I had to compare „The Gallery Of Bleeding Art” with your previous works, I' say it's not only more complex and mature, but also much more aggressive. What does it come from? The older you get, the more pissed off you are?
Pär: You always progress in life and sometimes you stumble upon a reality which you can not bear. So of course you get more angry when those things happen. And the overall progression talent-wise contributes with the despising lyrics.

Carl: Actually the average age of the band seems to drop over the years! With the addition of Pär and Tobias to the band I think we are younger than ever. Maybe that will help us to keep being pissed off! But, honestly I think it is more about evolving as musicians. I’ve never considered aggressive metal as something related to being aggressive yourself. It has always been a natural way for me to express myself. At the same time I’m a calm and balanced person. Who knows what I would have been like if I hadn’t had metal to channel the darkness inside me?

-To the best of my knowledge the album was recorded and mixed at Necromorbous Studio & Studio Underground and mastered at Tailormaid Production. Overall it sounds great. Did you use some new, maybe some special solutions this time, just to improve the quality of sound?
Carl: More skill, more time, more perfectionism. That’s the simple answer. Sverker has gained tremendous studio skills during the past few years. He contributed a lot to keeping the production very professional and with a high level of ambition.

-The album supposedly features a guest appearance of The Necro Quartet. Sorry, but I couldn't find fucking violins and cellos here. There are some piano/ keyboards chords but no fucken stringed shit. Am I deaf?
Carl: Yes, I'm afraid you are. It's important to wear earplugs when going to concerts or when spending time in any noisy environment! Try listening to the very first track of the album, the first thing you hear when you listen to the album is The Necro Quartet. No keyboards whatsoever. They also play on the title track, Vertigo and Extinction. It was a very strong experience to record the strings for the album. I don't think I have experienced the same joy in the studio since my very first demo recording
when you heard yourself on tape for the first time. When we recorded the strings for the album I had a similar feeling. I had spent much time writing the string arrangements and had only heard them as MIDI-tracks up until the actual recording. Those MIDI pre-production recordings didn't sound very impressive so I didn't know what to expect. But as soon as The Necro Quartet sat down and started to play, my jaw just dropped and I got goosebumps right away. So you can expect more of that in the future!