DIABOLIC — City of the Dead (review)

Demo · 1997 · Death Metal

3.5/5 · 2023-02-15
UMUR

"City of the Dead" is a demo release by US, Tampa, Florida based death metal act Diabolic. The demo was originally released in June 1997 on both cassette tape and on CD (self-released by the band). The cassette tape version features the exact same three tracks on both side A and side B. There exists a 1999 CD reissue which features two bonus tracks, and a 2014 vinyl ressiue which features the the three original tracks, the two bonus tracks from the 1999 CD reissue, a cover of "Visions from the Darkside" by Morbid Angel (originally featured on the 2002 "Tyrants From The Abyss - A Tribute To Morbid Angel" tribute album), a cover of "Gemini" by Slayer (originally featured on the 2003 "Hell at Last - A Tribute to Slayer" tribute album), and a new track recorded in 2013 titled "Lucifer Induced".

"City of the Dead" was recorded at Murdersound Studios in April 1997 using an 8 track recorder, and then later mastered at the legendary Morrisound Studios. The band have managed to create a near professional recording quality, which is actually much better sounding than a lot of other contemporary professional studio recorded releases in the genre. The demo features three tracks of blasphemous themed US death metal in the vein of Morbid Angel (and to a lesser degree Deicide), and there is no denying Diabolic´s heritage nor their influences. But while this may not be the most original sounding release, it´s still powerful, raw, and brutal high quality death metal.

The two bonus tracks from the 1999 CD reissue are obviously recorded at another session than the three tracks featured on the original version of the demo. They are in a slightly less professional recording quality (the sound is pretty murky), but it´s still obvious that Diabolic are well playing, and are capable of writing some really powerful death metal tunes.

The two covers included on the 2014 vinyl reissue are decent but nothing out of the ordinary, although I applaud the choice to cover "Gemini" (I mean who can actually listen through yet another cover of ""Angel of Death"...etc.), which is a criminally underrated Slayer gem that few people ever mention because of it´s rather unfortunate placement as the closing track on the harcore punk cover album "Undisputed Attitude (1996)". There... now I have promoted the original track. Now go listen to it damn it!

The 2013 track "Lucifer Induced" is a decent Diabolic track, but to my ears not one of their better tracks, so upon conclusion the original version of the demo is a high quality death metal demo, which does not only show promise, but more or less sounds like Diabolic sound on their 1998 debut album "Supreme Evil", both in terms of style and quality. The bonus material on the reissue version of the demo is decent enough, but it´s only for the hardcore fans, and doesn´t add much quality to the original release...mostly quantity. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.