JOEY DIABOLIC – Through Soundwaves Vol 3 – album review
In the opening scene of Wes Craven’s 1984 slasher film, A Nightmare On Elm Street, you hear the ambient sounds ever so familiar to classic horror. With the introduction of heavy breathing also comes the construction of the iconic glove. Viewers watch on, intrigued, as the leather glove and blades are selected, shaped and soldered into Freddy’s weapon of choice. This labor of love and terror is familiar to multi-instrumentalist and solo artist Joey Diabolic. Diabolic is known for producing, engineering, performing, recording, mixing AND mastering his own music. His sound, unique as Freddys’s glove, infuses rock, metal, horror metal, industrial goth and more to give you a horror-scape of sound that fans of any metal genre can appreciate.
Formerly known as Martyr Art, Diabolic has put out numerous independent releases from albums to singles. But his most recent EP pays homage to his all time favorite horror film series, can you guess what that may be? That’s right, his 12 part episodic release is a tribute to A Nightmare On Elm Street and Mr. Krueger would approve. Through Soundwaves Vol 3, hit digital music platforms on January 15th, 2021 and provides listeners with a mix of originals and covers. Right out of the gate, Son of a 100 Maniacs sets the scene for the haunted ride that you are about to take. Equipped with sound effects bearing semblance to classic thriller sounds that make your skin crawl, you might think twice about listening to the rest of the EP alone in the dark. The growing suspense presented in the first song really takes off with the slamming drum intro of Potter’s Field. Originally released in 1993 on Anthrax’s Sound of White Noise album, it was one of the first songs to feature vocalist John Bush. Although his vocals are extremely hard to touch, Diabolic cleverly took control of the instrumentals to give fans a more industrial sounding version of the original song. As the memorable lyrics hit the speakers, so does the Diabolic digital sound. At first listen, it seems as though the electronic tones are going to change the overall vibe of the cover. However, a minute into the song the heavy sound we all love growls its way in and takes over.
Which leads us into the cover of Sponge’s song Plowed. From the first note, you can immediately feel the heavy sound and dark ambiance that it presents in comparison to the original. This darkness continues into I am The Shadow in Darkness, which is a refreshing original piece in the mix. Save Yourself, one of the most well-known songs by American industrial rock band Stabbing Westward, is Diabolic’s next victim. But he saved the best for last with Creature of the Wheel – a fan favorite from the White Zombie album Astro Creep 2000. D. Lolli of Mama Doom made a guest appearance on this song with her haunting vocals and Vain Manners provided additional rhythmic and textural ambiance. It is immediately apparent that Diabolic put a little extra of his own blood, sweat and flair on this song. The band logo tattooed on his right bicep is a clear sign that this band means more to him than just another inspiration for his EP. “As far as covering the song,” Diabolic comments. “I wanted to encapsulate my experiences of listening to their albums since 1993. There was no one that sounded like them… They were true originals.” According to a recent Facebook post, Diabolic is “Finally done recording ‘Vol 4” and is set to release it on February 1st. We look forward to hearing what Vol 4 brings to the storyboard.
Order Through Soundwaves Vol 3 here: https://joeydiabolic.bandcamp.com/album/through-soundwaves-vol-3
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