Hailing from
Belgium, Diablo Blvd. is releasing their new album
"Follow the Deadlights", their third full-length
studio album, the first album after making a record
deal with Nuclear Blast. The first time I heard of
them was the day, when Diablo Blvd. was announced to
tour with Epica. So I got curious.
When I read that Diablo Blvd.'s genre was titled as
"Metal" in our list, my thoughts were something like
"Wow. Very creative. Thanks for the information."
But listening to the album showed, that it is indeed
difficult to put Diablo Blvd. into a specific
subgenre. I'd personally call it something between
Hard Rock and Heavy Metal.
"Follow the Deadlights" sounds somehow old
school,
comparable with bands like The Cult or Guns 'N
Roses, but has also a melancholic touch in the style
of Type O Negative, mostly because
of the down-tuned guitars and Alex Agnew's
deep, warm voice. Talking about Alex, I was
surprised as I read that he was a stand-up comedian
in Belgium, and a very successful one. I really
appreciate that he ended his career with Diablo Blvd.
being one of the main reasons for that.
What I miss is a real ballad (although "Inhuman"
gets close to it) and a song that really blows me
away. That is why most of the songs sound alike.
Maybe the CD just needs a few more passes to unfold
the whole effect.
With Diablo Blvd. being supporting act of Epica's
"European Enigma" tour, I'll get the chance to find
out, if they are as good (or even better) live. And,
who knows. Maybe Alex kept a part of being a
comedian deep inside and the concert (especially the
talks between the songs) will be worth remembering.
