DIATHEKE is a Progressive Death Metal band that hails from Dallas, Texas. Their name translates to “testament” in Greek. This is the band’s sophomore album. From their EPK, “into the Void came light; out of the emptiness came endless fields of glittering stars, gleaming like gems upon black velvet beneath the impossible, towering nebulae - terrifying in their staggering grandeur and beauty. Drawn from the absolute silence, the galaxies were born and within their infinite intricacies, their splendour beyond comprehension, the first whispers of the miracle of life were heard amongst the heavens. With a word the first moments of time began to fall through the hourglass of existence…”

The album has six songs, and “The Creator” is first. Soft piano tones augment the dreamy opening sequence, and what follows is in direct conflict…hardened Metal tones and harsh vocals that are both guttural and screamed. The combination is a little cumbersome, and I will need to listen further. “The Deceiver” comes out of the gate with aggressive riffing, some meter shifts, and harsh vocals. Their musicianship is on display as well, and the incensed vocals do not let up. “The Promise” is the first song that embraces melody over the early aggression, and the clean vocals are quite nice. The melody like here stays strong, even amidst some harsh vocals, and the combination works more organically, and more naturally here.

“The Redeemer” swing back towards heavy aggression once again, with a punishing opening riff, but it is augmented with the melody of ivories. Their musicianship is excellent, as they navigate several deft meter shifts as well. “The Empowerment’ is both darker and heavier, as a black cloud rolls in, threatening, and the vocals are tortured, horrid offerings. But clean vocals wash away some of the filth in the chorus. We reach the end, with “The Coronation;” a 13-minute opus. Melody makes a glorious return, intermixed with both clean and harsh vocals, and deep aggression at times. Sometimes, the route is takes is circuitous, but that is Progressive Metal in a nutshell, and their musicianship is excellent once again.

Overall, this was a good album, with fantastic musicianship. There were some moments when the transitions were a bit clunky, but there were also some brilliant moments. The band has talent, but they need to sharpen up some of the transitions. This is a band to keep an eye on for sure.