"Diogonos" (in Greek, the one who was born twice) was recorded live in five days in early March 2023 at the Heldscalla Studio by Raphaël Henry and consists of eight tracks that exude metal from every pore. Ferocious and primordial doom with marked black-thrash veins and which combines gloomy riffs, steaming guitar solos and oppressive atmospheres with great evocative power, to which two other worshippers of the violet venom contributed. The album has eight songs.

“By the Styx” is first. Heavy, thick bass notes accompany a smooth but dissonant riff, with some wah-wah in the leads. The harsh vocals take it to a completely different place, and some Progressive elements mix in. “Violet Venom” has a more traditional Doom sound, coming at the listener with a BLACK SABBATH vibe. The clean vocals are done in that ominous way, but the animated bass notes might be what I like the most so far. “Blossom” is a short segue song, but it does add flavor to the album. “Ad Nauseam” has a thicker and heavier structure, and the bass notes come through like Steve Harris. The vocals are tortured shouts, and the riffs are dissonant.

“Vineyard and Ivy” is a lengthy ten minutes, and the song comes out of the gate with strokes of energy and sophistication, two elements that are uncommon in the Doom genre. Not to be overshadowed, the riff keeps shifting so the listener doesn’t get too comfortable. There is even a melodic interlude, and they enter a great free jam session to close it out. “Requiem” is a very short segue song, featuring trumpet notes. “Evohe” leads with more thick and meaty bass notes, and riff is powerful and ominous. This is really unlike any Doom album that I have heard, because the band doesn’t sit on a riff too long.

“Sparagmos” closes the album, and this has been a hell of a ride. The bass once again carries a good part of the sound, with guitar riffs and vocals in support. They kick it into overdrive close to the half-way mark as some Black metal sneaks in. But Doom and gloom round out the song at the end. As I mentioned, this is an uncommon album because the band experiments at unexpected times, while retaining many of the traditional elements that fans have come to enjoy. Their musicianship is also excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed their personal take on Doom.