Conjuring the Cathedral of Darkness in Trondheim
In the frozen heart of Norway’s Black Metal landscape, a scene long steeped in myth, ritual, and relentless creativity, there are few projects that carry the weight of history combined with a distinctly modern ambition. Diabolus, Mecum Semperterne! is one such phenomenon: a collaborative force forged by some of Trondheim’s most respected dark alchemists, whose collective shadow stretches across decades of underground Metal. Their self-titled debut album, released on 20 February 2026, feels less like a record and more like a summoning, a cathedral-sized testament to Black Metal’s enduring spirit.
From the moment you glimpse the lineup, it’s clear this is no ordinary band but an assembly of seasoned architects of extreme music. On guitars, synths and bass is Tor-Helge Skei (a.k.a. Cernunnus), a veteran of foundational projects such as Manes, Manii, and Syning, whose production and compositional signature has helped shape generations of Scandinavian Black Metal gloom. Behind the kit sits B. Kråbøl, a percussive force whose work with Misotheist, Enevelde, and Kråbøl has won acclaim for its visceral intensity and technical ferocity. On vocals, Kjell Rambech (K.R.) brings years of throat-scouring experience from Whoredom Rife, Parfaxitas, and Bloodthorn, delivering performance that’s both primal and possessed. Adding another dimension is E. Blix, whose choral contributions, homed in projects like Mare, Djevel, Vemod and Dark Sonority, expand the palette into ritualistic grandeur. This quartet doesn’t merely play Black Metal; they embody its lineage, pulling threads from early-scene tradition and weaving them into a tapestry that feels timeless and vast.
Musically, “Diabolus, Mecum Semperterne!” unfolds like an archaic liturgy. Over nine tracks, including the ritualistic opener “Praeludium” and the sprawling nine-minute invocation “Gratias agamus domino infero deo nostro”, the album balances corrosive tremolo riffs with haunting synth ambience and choral undercurrent, creating an atmosphere that is oppressive in scope yet precise in execution. The result is not simply Dark Metal; it is an immersive experience, a sonic cathedral where every cresting lead and layered vocal is an altar, and every blast beat is a chant echoing through frost-bitten corridors of lore and legend.
Diabolus, Mecum Semperterne! is a Black Metal colossus that refuses simple categorisation. It is both reverent and confronting, marrying the raw ethos of early Norwegian Black Metal with compositional depth and atmospheric breadth that only seasoned artisans can command. What unfurls over the album’s 44-minute arc is not merely music, but a ritual of sound, a converging of voices and lineage that speaks to the genre’s past while demanding attention in the present.
Here, every member’s pedigree isn’t just a résumé of experience, it’s an active ingredient in the alchemical brew. Skei’s visionary riffcraft, Kråbøl’s thunderous precision, Rambech’s howl-carved vocals, and Blix’s spectral choirs coalesce into something that feels greater than the sum of its parts; a testament to what happens when Black Metal makers (not imitators) gather around a shared vision. In a year already rich with bold releases, “Diabolus, Mecum Semperterne!” stands among the most compelling statements of 2026: an album that doesn’t simply echo the past, but channels it through the furnace of now, inviting listeners not just to hear it, but to witness it.
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