Here is what is completely obvious as soon as you hit play on the new Accuser album Diabolic: the goal of this album is to be a fast aggressive aural assault that will grip you by the throat and not let go until the very last note has faded from the speakers! This is a thrash album that is a non-stop, punishing journey through the nightmares and dreamscapes of a band. Not just any band mind you but one that knows how to write powerful music with the right amount of melody and amplitude while not holding back on the in your face aggression that solid thrash is built on.
Anchored firmly into the thrash scene of the late 80’s to early 90’s Accuser create an album of finely crafted songs that build from the opening song 'Apocalyptic Decay' with its mellow yet anticipatory rhythm and groove intro that flows into the earth shattering blast beats and primal screams of the song. The flow of the album is top-notch with the excellent title track following and allowing the band to open up and become even more free with the music as each songs seems to build on the pace and speed of the last. Accuser has definitely not left anything on the table in this release they have finely tuned their sound and actually separated themselves, style-wise, from what we know of the greats of the German thrash scene.
With a feel more relatable to Sepultura or early Testament, Accuser have sprinkled in a bit more melody to allow the music to sound and feel more accessible and less constricted to the thrash mold. The songs are built on strong foundations of power, aggression and mood and each one feels independent of the next without feeling foreign to the overall album. When one listens to this album they feel drawn into the unique visions of songs like 'Cannibal Insanity', 'Beyond The Blackness', and 'Remains of Chaos'. One thing that is an absolute certainty about this album is Accuser has been working toward an album this good for years and has finally found a place where the fear, hate, loathing and tormenting nightmares can reside to build a solid, neck breaking album. If you are looking for fast, body and mind crushing thrash-til-you collapse on the floor music, then this album is for you!
