The debut for Texas metal band Diatheke has been in the works for a long time, which might explain the unique character of “…And The Word Was God.” Six tracks running over an hour shows the band tipping their hat to the progressive while embracing death metal as their musical language to tell a most epic story.
Although officially known as Diatheke back in 2017, the band’s history goes back to 2011 when three of the members were in the progressive metalcore band Citadel. They were active from 2011-2014 releasing a single concept album, showing early on their penchant for storytelling and deeper meaning in their art. They rebranded as Diatheke, which translates to testament or covenant, taking on the mantle of longer songs in a progressive death metal style. They released singles along the way to showcase their songwriting, many of them longer than some bands’ EPs, emphasizing they are in the business of progressive music. Here they are 13 years since the Citadel release to provide their debut Diatheke album.
“…And The Word” is a concept album in the grandest sense. The story starts with creation and flows through salvation history through to the end of time. This is not light material and to do it right requires time for it to unfold. Diatheke definitely take their time, employing a narrative approach to their craft. The album unfolds like the telling of a long fairy tale, where the music sets the mood and the lyrics are narrative. In this light, it asks much of the listener to pay attention in order to pick up on the deeper meaning, although the different tracks do a great job of painting with a broad brush the story arc.
The prevailing textures are progressive and melodic metal with blackened death vocals that shift between the pounding, the grooving, and the slamming with atmospheric breaks. There is a tendency for the riffs to have a smart subtlety by not choosing the obvious route, where it feels like something is missing, whether it is a beat or a more hooky melodic line. I get a sense that this is intentional, but it leads to a subdued and quirky feel that is endearing to me, if not clunky. The harsh vocals swing between the deep death vocals and the screamy black vocals and render the lyrics unintelligible for the most part. In contrast the clean vocals make clear the lyrics and are used often for sweet harmonic support to the music and at times having a catchy melody. Synth elements such as piano and strings add additional melodic character, but I often found them thinner than I would have liked.
Going the next layer up, the songwriting is pretty diverse in terms of elements that are connected mostly in a linear fashion where there isn’t a lot of repetition. It is as if it were driving forward to some final destination. Because these songs are so long, it can feel a little rambly, but keeping an ear to the end result, there is an intelligent design that underpins the writing that goes unnoticed upon first listen. That said, there are some really neat spots along the way such as the grooving rhythm and jam session in “The Redeemer” and the clean vocals and the upward moving riff in “The Empowerment” with the lyrics pointing to renewal.
This then brings us to the highest level where the album plays as a movie. It is an expansive and complete work. Even individual songs are dependent on the others to bring meaning as they often bleed from one to the next. The complex movement from creation through the fall of man and salvation history I think is captured very well artistically with the album’s flow. This is one of the most intriguing and, dare I say, fun elements of the album.
These guys have a lot of talent and some really cool ideas on this album. It isn’t a typical metal album nor is it a metal opera, but lands in that concept album space that requires more from the listener than your typical album to get the full effect. It took me a few listens to get into it, but once I did, I really got it. There are some opportunities to tighten up the songwriting a bit and not shy away from the conventional if it makes sense. For those that enjoy extreme metal and would like an epic metal soundtrack of an album, do yourself a favor and check this album out!
Rating: 8.0/10
Written by Sean Bailey
Tracklist|
1 – The Creator
2 – The Deceiver
3 – The Promise
4 – The Redeemer
5 – The Empowerment
6 – The Coronation
Diatheke is:
John Wesley – bass and vocals
Peter Watson – vocals
Dallas McNeely – guitars
Michael Osborn – drums and vocals
Release Date: March 21, 2025
Record Label: Rottweiler Records
Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Bandcamp
Video for The Promise
Video (audio) for The Creator