Band:	Diabulus In Musica
Album:	The Wanderer
Style:	Symphonic metal
Release date:	February 29, 2012
A review by:	Susan

01. A Journey's End (Intro)
02. Ex Nihilio
03. Sceneries Of Hope
04. Blazing A Trail
05. Call From A Rising Memory (Intro)
06. Hidden Reality
07. Shadow Of The Throne
08. Allegory Of Faith, Innocence And Future
09. Sentenced To Life
10. Oihuka Bihotzetik
11. No Time For Repentance (Lamentatio)
12. The Wanderer

The Wanderer is a sophomore album that follows a "take notice" debut, 2010's Secrets. I am happy to say that this is a beautiful improvement; the band continued forward and in two years produced something far exceeding their first work. Too often, bands use up all their good ideas on the debut and thus sophomore albums are legendarily stale and less interesting. Diabulus In Musica has proven themselves as capable songwriters by releasing this superior work and forging ahead, down a fine road of musical exploration.

The symphonic metal crowd will find this album full of variety and quite exciting. Epic is certainly the name of the game, and the energy and passions are high. They stick to the symphonic metal roots while still incorporating many aspects of peripheral genres; keeps it a nice and interesting listen. Even after repeated spins I'm still finding countless hidden treasures and new tunes to adore.

What holds this exciting album together so tightly is the mix. This is also where many symphonic bands go wrong, usually as relating to the vocals. Not here. The lovely Zuberoa Aznárez's singing is like icing on the cake, and she assists the music instead of the other way around. They're not showcasing a single diva: this is a cohesive and brilliantly mixed album that conveys complex ideas with each movement.

Lately, some have been grumbling about the state of the symphonic metal scene and even about it being dead. Yes, many of our favorite pioneering bands of the late 90s and early 00s are no more, or have lost their enigmatic front-women. That is of course sad but doesn't mean the death of anything. The torch has been passed, people. Sit up and take notice of the many exciting and capable bands now wielding it. I'm not saying that this album is single-handedly saving the scene or anything; just let Diabulus In Musica serve as a reminder that the scene is far from dead in the first place.