Speed has long been an integral part that has made a very large swathe of metal so electrifying to many of us, but it must be made clear that one cannot succeed with a fast pacing alone. It’s alongside such a fiery base that you need some semblance of melody as well as a solid backbone that showcases your capacity to wield such madness with tact and precision. Many can’t manage that for more than a handful of albums at best. Yet, there are those that persevere and show us how it’s done. For the last thirty years, Bewitched has been showing us how it’s done with their latest work, “Diabolical Death Mass”, a testament to those long-honed strength.
Every bit of Bewitched’s illustrious career is made obvious throughout every single one of these eleven tracks. This is black-thrash that grab you by the throat and is never once satisfied until you’ve been turned into a fine red mist from the ferocity of the speed alone that “Diabolical Death Mass” boasts in each moment with the raw intensity of it all making you realize that this genre still has so much more to offer. It can be all too easy to think that black-thrash doesn’t have much going on, but not every band can be as bombastic and darkly intoxicating as Bewitched is here. Lightning splits the sky and the witches cackle as this record progresses. It’s been twenty years since we last heard from Bewitched, and it’s clear in each of these testaments to an unyielding darkness wreathed in blood that time has done nothing to subdue the magnitude of ferocity that this band operates with. “Diabolical Death Mass” is an embodiment of what this style can still become when put in the hands of those that do not move blindly but, rather, with purpose. Black and thrash metal have a storied history with each other, but it’s only on occasion do we witness such a pointed and well-executed display of power such as this. One would do well to investigate this record and brace themselves for an experience that is the absolute definition of blistering.
Far too often is this particular sound not given the time or attention to detail that is deserves. It can feel like years between truly worthy exceptions, and it feels only natural that a band of Bewitched’s sort that we’re able to bear witness to such blasphemy and knowledge brought together in a form that’s as impactful as it is undeniable effective. “Diabolical Death Mass” is nothing if not a fiery victory for Bewitched; a triumphant culmination of a run that defines an era of the underground.
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