Review Summary: This blackened deathcore album will chill you with its brutally crushing downtuned riffs, and agonizing gutturals. If you're not mentally prepared for this album, I'd turn elsewhere.
This kind of release is something a little bit outside of my comfort zone when it comes to enduring super brutal and dissonant stuff, especially in deathcore. So, this album was a bit of a challenge to listen to and critique, but I am convinced that this album definitely has certain strengths that will benefit those looking to be pummeled by a domino of crushing riffs. Even though this is not the first blackened deathcore band with djent elements with a name variation of "cabal" (it's true, look it up), Khabal has a certain unique appeal that separates it from its competitors.
Like the name of the band suggests, the album is thematically about the effects of strong religious indoctrination and the power that these larger institutions have over those who believe they can do no wrong. It highlights how great atrocities can be committed by those who have a perceived justification from the divine; it takes belief in something infinitely benevolent to justify acts that are infinitely evil. It follows a serial killer who worships vague occult powers and sets off on an inquisition targeting those who she believes to be unfaithful and heretical.
What one will essentially get with listening to the music of The Divine Deception is an album that is brutal from beginning to end with the exception of the last four minutes of "Mors Vincit Omnia". They offer essentially one flavor, but they brew this flavor well. With hateful deathcore harsh vocals all the way through, and crushing, Meshuggah-esque downtuned, high gain riffs. It may sound paradoxical to put it into words, but makes more sense when you listen to this is that the album is equally dissonant and atmospheric as it is aggressive and brutal. This comes from the slight black-metal-tinged mixing and guitar techniques. I will also say that as the album progresses, the black metal vibes grow and begin replacing the djent influences. More high shrieks and tremolo picking replace the mechanical crunchy palm-muted riffs from the beginning tracks. The final track ends off this 37-minute album with one final goosebump-inducing, pain-filled growl, followed by over four minutes of ominous ambience, demonic whispers, and industrial blaring.
What impresses me the most about this album is how low and deep the djent riffs sound, this might have something to do with the way the bass is tuned and mixed it gives extra "umph" to the heaviness of the album's sound. It reminds me of the heavy dissonant strums at the beginning of "Mind's Mirrors" by Meshuggah on Catch Thirtythree. I mention this because those are the moments that stood out to me the most as a fan of progressive metal, but there are other bands that this sounds much more akin to. The majority of the album sounds primarily influenced by larger blackened deathcore bands like Lorna Shore or possibly Immortal Bird.
While this album does one thing, and one thing well, The Divine Deception is painfully one-note. The whole album is painted with this murky grey aesthetic that covers the whole composition and makes it harder to not get overwhelmed by the end, especially since each song is packed with the same harsh and dissonant sounds. The sound one will hear from a randomly chosen song on the album is essentially what one will get from the rest of the album, which can be a bad thing if blackened djenty deathcore isn't your thing. Variety is the spice of life, and art succeeds well when it illustrates thematic contrasts and dynamic elements; this did not really do that so much. But for what it is, it provides a certain niche that I'm sure a lot of fans of this kind of thing are looking for, and I have no doubt that Khabal will find that audience for the brutality they have to offer.
Attribution: https://theprogressivesubway.com/2021/07/28/review-khabal-the-divine-deception/
