Diabolical Masquerade - Ravendusk in My Heart (1996)^{Release ID: 3939}

A unique mix of black and traditional metal. Blakkheim's adventurous fantasy is a trip worth taking.

Diabolical Masquerade was really the magnificent black metal playground of the infamous Blakkheim (also known as Anders Nyström of Katatonia fame). He handled the songwriting plus all guitars, vocals and a fair amount of the keyboards on every release, so it was really his baby. Bandwhore Dan Swano was also involved in various ways through all four albums but it was never particularly clear exactly how much input he had in the creation of each, instead taking on a producing role and guesting here and there. The band are far better known for the Nightwork and Death's Design albums that they'd release a few years after this debut, but it would be a tragedy for anyone out there to assume the earlier albums weren't worth checking out, particularly the wonderful Ravendusk in My Heart.

I was as surprised as anyone when I first heard the album at the time of its release as it's so far removed from the emotional death doom of early Katatonia. Yet clearly Anders was a big fan of black metal and felt he had something to offer to the genre. I'm damn glad he gave in to the urge as this album has always been a treasure to me. It has an extremely unique atmosphere that's built upon fast paced majestic black metal with more traditional heavy metal. One can't help but be swept away with the bizarre fantasy which is more than assisted by the strange track titles and lyrics. The production has a lot of clarity to it rather than the brutally raw sound that is often associated with black metal but it works perfectly for the world Blakkheim so passionately created.

As much as I hate to admit it, the album has its flaws. It's tremendously adventurous throughout so it's not at all surprising that it doesn't always hit the mark. A few tracks break into traditional metal riffs randomly and while these are cool enough on their own, they tend to draw the listener out of the mood that had been building up so successfully. Under the Banner of the Sentinel is the worst offender in which Blakkheim even dares Judas Priest imitating high pitched vocals. But these odd shifts in tone can't take away from what is a unique, inspired piece of work that I reach for often when wanting for something a bit different to the norm. Highlight tracks for me are Blackheim's Quest to Bring Back the Stolen Autumn, The Sphere in Blackheim's Shrine, Blackheim's Forest Kept the Season Forever and Blackheim's Hunt For Nocturnal Grace.