Band:	Iron Mask
Album:	Diabolica
Style:	Power metal
Release date:	September 2016

01. I Don't Forget, I Don't Forgive
02. Doctor Faust
03. Galileo
04. Oliver Twist
05. March 666
06. All For Metal
07. The Rebellion Of Lucifer
08. Diabolica
09. The First And The Last
10. Ararat
11. Flying Fortress
12. Cursed In The Devil's Mill

Iron Mask has always been one of my favourite power metal bands. In fact I find this band to be one of the best metal bands from my country (if not the best), but I would never have thought that they would make an album that I would consider the best of the year; certainly not when bands like Opeth and Heavenwood (one of my personal favourite bands) release a new album in the same year.

This is, in my opinion, their best album so far. Now what makes Diabolica such a great album, you might ask?

Well, one of those things is the singer they got for this album. Diego Valdez did a fantastic job on this album; there are no other words for it. Even though he might have just been a stand-in until the band found a new singer, his performance definitely added to the overall quality of this album.

Another aspect of this album that I really liked was the production. Guitars sound powerful, the drums sound great, the bass is very well interwoven into the songs, as well as the orchestra parts, and like I said the vocals are on point throughout the whole album.

The lyrics are not exactly your standard power metal lyrics. One of the things I like about Iron Mask is that their lyrics are not your typical cheesy power metal lyrics (most of the time). Songs like "Galileo", "Doctor Faust", "Oliver Twist" and "The Rebellion Of Lucifer" are perfect examples of that.

However, there are a few little nitpicks that I have. One of them is the song "March 666". I feel that the "historical speeches" they've mixed in with the song actually break the flow of the song. I understand why they put them in the song and it's an interesting idea but it doesn't really work for me. Another nitpick would be "All For Metal". Remember when I said that the lyrics on Iron Mask albums are usually not as cheesy as most other power metal albums? Well... this song (along with two others) is the exception... It's really, really cheesy. "I Don't Forgive, I Don't Forget" and "The First And The Last" are also quite cheesy, but I like those songs more than "All For Metal". The other tracks all have way more serious lyrics.

The three best songs on the album, in my opinion, are "Galileo", "Oliver Twist" and "The Rebellion Of Lucifer".

That said, though, I think Diabolica as a whole is definitely worth a listen. If you are a power metal fan it is actually a must-listen. And even if you are not a huge fan of power metal, I would still recommend this record. It certainly has aspects that will appeal to you, whether it be some of the neoclassical elements they added in some songs, the overall better lyrics than most of the other stuff in the genre or the more progressive parts they put in certain songs. There is something to like for everyone.