Year of release: 2019
Label: High Roller Records
Rating: 8 / 10
Today, you got tons of heavy, thrash and speed metal, tailored according to the patterns of the golden 80s. You won’t surprise anyone with such music. In 2013, when the German Heavy Steeler founded his project, the old-fashioned sound was already gaining momentum, but had not yet been registered in the roster of every second metal label. Therefore, the demo “Evil Night”, the single “Infernal Power” and the EP “Sepulchral Magic”, released by the musician on analogue media from 2014 to 2015, have been sold out instantly, and after a couple of weeks the price tag on them grew to monstrous sizes. Today, these records can not be found at all under any form, except digital. Here the German should have recalled the proverb "Make hay while the sun shines", but he decided not to rush things. The lull before the release of the album lasted four years. During this time, the old-school metal scene has grown to indecent; for example, about half of the promos I get contain something like DIABOLIC NIGHT or BATHORY.
However, for me, “Beyond the Realm” did not become another red flower on a vast poppy field. From the first days of its existence, DIABOLIC NIGHT was distinguished by thoughtful stylistics, aesthetics (take at least these beautiful poser photos) and genuine energy. The music style of the project has evolved a bit, but the energy has remained the same. In part, it comes from the chosen sound: a very dense and warm bass rumble just makes all the music sparkle with gold. Partly - from the balance of moods. DIABOLIC NIGHT mixes elements of different styles, creating its own unique brew. The most similar band, perhaps, are the KAT in their classic era. Their music was characterized by the same mixture of styles, where there was no bias in favor of any one. This is just old metal. There is aggression and melody, youthful enthusiasm and vintage soulfulness. The balance is simply impeccable, in contrast, for example, to the always rushing to the extreme MIDNIGHT, who plays either MOTORHEAD or some kind of stupid malicious bullshit. The same is true about the dynamic of songs: high-speed fragments constantly alternate with measured ones. The jerky vocals in the vein of primeval extreme metal, however, remain the same during the album, but for some reason this is not at all annoying.
Despite all of the above, I am pretty sure that “Beyond The Realm” will be lost among similar-style albums that continue to be released every day. On the one hand, I feel a little sorry about the musician, although it's his own fault. He should have release the album earlier, when the audience was not yet fed. On the other hand, good things are not done quickly, and whoever needs it will find it. I recommend you to take the vinyl without hesitation.
English (UK) 
Крыўская 