DIATONIC - I Am The One

Diatonic - I Am The One (2016, self-released/Triton’s Orbit Distribution)

It’s funny how things happen in life, the day of the election of President Trump I get to pick a record that is titled I Am The One just as a coincidence or not of the man’s huge ego and furious declarations of his supremacy in one of the worst elections America has ever seen. 

But I digress with politics and you are here to read about the second full length in two years from the Swedish Melodic Death Metal band Diatonic.

This one man band of Joakim Antman (The Ugly, Skitarg, Overtorture) performing vocals, guitars, and bass guitar also featuring on the drums Fredrik Widigs (Marduk). Antman takes the path that Tribulation paved last year with a penchant for Melodic Black/Death that meets slower grooves and a sense of Death Metal that is particular and unique in Sweden.

Just as Norwegian Black Metal, Swedish Death Metal has distinctive traits that involve Melodic guitar riffing and tempos that are not always as fast as North American Death. However, in the Dark Tranquility category, there are not so many acts that come and grab me by the p***y. What i want to say is that I don’t feel really involved with Melodic Death Metal, usually. He case with Diatonic’s I Am The One is an album that sounds and feels good and it is mainly because of the heavy sounding guitars and the drumming. Behind the kit, Widigs does just enough to groove and smash those skins without stealing the show of the stringed instruments. Songs like ‘’Hypocrite’’ are made for those elements to shine in a superb way with the long instrumental section.

Overall, this is a good album that has everything that great from Swedish Death Metal and it is done right. The only thing is that it is not bringing something else to the table than what it is.

7.0