From Richmond, VA comes the Nu Metal/Hardcore quintet SAINT DIABLO and their third full-length album "Devil Horns And Halos"; a masterfully crafted piece of equal parts extremity, melody and majesty that, dare I say, may earn itself as my Album of the Year.

From the opening title track, "Devil Horns And Halos", begins a sound of crushing brutality; nothing more, nothing less. Justin Adams on guitar performs some fantastic riffs and not only do they make me want to go nuts with the added power of Tyler Huffman's amazing bass noise... I am THAT certain that they put their entirety of the will power in their bodies to create such a fine, metallic sound. This is also the same with "Survive This", where Tito Quinones on vocals shines through and exposes some great Nu Metal-like vocals; almost on Corey Taylor's level. This guy produces some near-perfect Metal growls as well as clean vocals (some might think them too whiny, but I thought them not) - which is good for those who aren't too into the growlier side of Metal. If nothing else, it's a nice helping touch for newcomers.

"Meet My Maker" continues showing off more of that vocal talent, and in turn exposes the aforementioned whiny side of them a little bit. But it's a nice touch for the kind of "emotional" setting they're going for, and they spice it up with some crushing pounds from Brian Bush on drums and the amazingly ongoing swerving riffs make this track a fine killer. "Dark Horse" has a more Thrash tone from the beginning and the groove is so very strong here, so much as to make me compare it to the mighty SOULFLY (who they have toured with, I might add) in terms of style and power output. But more important is the vocal performance, which hits a high note of epic and majestic force, sending shivers down my spine every time I listen to it. "Ancient Astronauts" has a similar outing, but with more focus on the musicianship which really shines on this track.

The second half of the album begins the fist-pumping "Trust Me" as you can expect from the title, it's one of those dramatic entries that always risk going too far but that SAINT DIABLO performs with deadly accuracy. And if the vocal performance alone hadn't sold me on this track, then the added atmosphere they bring out would've. United, they bring home this dramatic trophy with ease. "Last Fight"; the name is almost self-explanatory. Using their original sound but transitioning back to that SOULFLY-esque sound, they pound the album right back on track.

Nearing the ending of the album, the much longer "My Time" has a particularly fancy riff going throughout the song, featuring that majestic sound I've been talking about that just continues to thrash me about. A tasty entry, no doubt. "Adios En-Amigos" is very similar to the previous but a little different in riff tone with more emphasis on growls and pounding, making for a very headbang-worthy track. Finally comes "Reincarnation", utilizing all the tricks built up to this point, sending "Devil Horns And Halos" off with a bang.

I honestly feel this is one of the best releases 2015 has had to offer. "Devil Horns And Halos" is not only an epic masterpiece, but an original and nearly perfect album for fans of SOULFLY, SLIPKNOT, and Nu-Metal in general. And beyond that I can say that, as someone who is generally not a Nu-Metal fan, this is an album that caters to a wide range of Metalheads - truly, if all Nu-Metal bands sounded like SAINT DIABLO I would be convinced to change my opinion on Nu-Metal.

Don't let your preconceptions of the genre make you miss out on this one. No really, don't let it. It's THAT good.