I was introduced to the death metal colossus known as Diatheke back in 2021, when they released a masterpiece of a single called "Splendour." Since then, I've been enthralled with their sound and their phenomenal musicianship and songwriting, and have been patiently waiting for a full record to drop. Now the wait for their first full-length album, And The Word Was God, is finally almost over. Our first taste comes in the form of "The Promise."

Since adding vocalist Peter Watson to the mix, Diatheke has charged even more into the realm of death metal (as evidenced by their more recent singles, "Embraced" and "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear"). "The Promise" keeps the length we've come to expect from Diatheke, and it hits the listener with a fantastic progressive death metal sound that blends powerful, melodic clean vocals, crushing gutturals, impressive guitar riffs, and massive drum fills and double bass. There are even some lovely strings a few times throughout the song that add a good bit of depth, and the song's last few minutes see the music slowly breaking down until all of the music is replaced by an acoustic guitar and a droning voice chanting "Lamb of God who takes the sins of the world / have mercy on us / Lamb of God who takes the sins of the world / grant us peace."

Those words come after what is essentially a retelling of the fall and rebellion of man, culminating in the coming of Christ to wash away our sin. The lyrics convey such a heavy tone, emphasizing the true weight of sin and its effect on our souls and the world in general. The song touches on Adam and Eve's rebellion in the garden ("From fruit now comes slaughter, tearing the fabric of time / like unholy water, spewed out onto dying vines … embracing the plunge into self indulgent rot / begging for mercy with atonements of vanity will never suffice to atone for abusing dominion"), and goes on to cover the ultimate ineffectiveness of sacrifices in the light of man's egregious failures ("Insufficient, unable to cleanse / these slaughters cannot make us whole / earth groans in separation, thirsting for a savior"). The lyrics are poetic and purposeful and, at times, almost read like Scripture itself. When it comes time for Christ to enter the picture, the song gushes about the conquering King that He is ("The rival of nations, of kings and their kingdoms, the violence of Molech, the power of Ra / Destroyer of Dagon, ravager to Legion, a Lion from Judah foretold to absolve") before ending on the aforementioned call for forgiveness and peace. The song covers a lot of ground and wraps it up in a fantastic package of powerful songwriting.

If the band didn't want to choose the opening track of the album as the lead single, then "The Promise" is the next best choice. It's a bonafide Diatheke piece that not only whets the appetite of the fans longing for the album, but can also stand on its own like the band's first few singles. If you've been patiently holding out for And The Word Was God, rest assured that you are not going to be let down.

- Review date: 12/26/24, written by Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com

Record Label: Rottweiler Records
Album length: 1 track: 8 minutes, 59 seconds
Street Date: January 3, 2025
Buy It: Bandcamp

1. The Promise (8:59)