There you go again. Swedish DIABOLICAL already gained some attention in the underground with their “Deserts Of Desolation” debut, that (according to a label info) sold 3.500 copies world-wide, which is certainly not bad for a mini album. Their bandname on the other hand obviously wasn’t the most clever idea if you take into consideration that there’s already bands around such as DIABOLIC, DIABOLICAL MASQUERADE, DIABOLIQUE and so on. Unfortunately the same goes for the music, the logo, the artwork and the production. DIABOLICAL are great musicians – no doubt about that, but they are still heavily lacking in an own identity and just follow paths that already have been walked ways to often if you ask me. They don’t took any risks at all. Produced in Studio Underground with P.O. Saether (who’s already been working with NECRODEATH, CARNAL FORGE, TERROR 2000, EBONY TEARS etc.), the eight featured songs on “Synergy” are sounding like an aggressive hybrid of CARCASS (“Heartwork” period), AT THE GATES and the usual KREATOR references that almost every new thrashin’ Death Metal act from Scandinavia seems to incorporate in their songwriting. The band’s logo is in the typical ornated, oldstyle vein and for the cover they used (no – surprisingly not Mr. Wahlin…) Joe Petagno, who must have turned into everyone’s number one choice at the moment. So, all in all this comes across very well executed, but also extremely faceless. If you still can’t get enough of this aggressive new wave of Swedish Death/Thrash, you can of course go for DIABOLICAL as well. Everyone else probably has tons of similar sounding bands in his / her collection already.