Diviner – ‘Realms of Time’ (Ulterium Records)

By Phil Cooper

Formed in 2011, Greece based five-piece Diviner have come forward with ‘Realms of Time’. Ten power metal tracks form the follow up to 2015’s ‘Fallen Empires’. Lead single ‘Heaven Falls’ has been earning attention with an accompanying music video. Their blend of powerful melody driven metal mixes in dark, heavy undertones and has been transferred to the bands live sound further earning them a strong fanbase and critical acclaim. Diviner are looking to expand on a solid foundation built upon their debut release and live shows, does ‘Realms of Time’ have the power to take Diviner further?

With ‘Against the Grain’ Diviner have set up the new album with a heavy hitting opener. Kicking straight in with rapid fire riffs, an aggressive attack from a tight rhythm section and a vocal styling that is reminiscent of Dio. ‘Against the Grain’ delivers a hefty power metal statement in just over four minutes, setting up the listener for what’s to come. Hot on the heals of the opening track is current lead single ‘Heaven Falls’. With a machine gun riff coupled with the furious rhythm section laying down the foundation the vocals once more soar over the mix. It’s catchier than the first track and an obvious choice for the single. It introduces all the elements for Diviner’s sound and nails everything that makes them a solid power metal force. The tempo barely lets up throughout, but with the dynamic shifts and breaks there is a flow to the sound that engages the listener, the guitar work weaves together and produces not only the powerful riffs but catchy lead lines and melodies. The chorus section is highly infectious and should prove to be a good number on the live scene.

As the album progresses, Diviner really show off more of their power metal style.

Tracks such as ‘The Earth, The Moon, The Sun’, ‘King of Masquerade’ and album closer ‘Stargate’ all have the traditional fantasy like elements of the lyrical content that has become synonymous with the genre. However, it’s not overblown or cheesy. They’ve successfully woven the ideas of the lyrics into a narrative that draws the listener in rather than dismissing it which can be a pitfall when it comes to this escapism element. There’s a number of key reasons why they’ve managed to make it work. Firstly, they’ve crafted the lyrics to be accessible to anyone, they’ve given an everyday life edge to the content. Second, the musicianship backing up the vocals is excellent, creating a highly entertaining metal backdrop. Finally, the overall song writing and crafting of each track pulls the listener in, rather than operating on the single plain of power metal, they’ve mixed in more traditional elements with the galloping riffs and straightforward stomping rhythms. This makes the music more available to others and not just hardcore fans of the sub-genre. In addition, they’ve been able to include extremely catchy melodies within the music, a worthy track of note is ‘Time’. With the huge chorus melody providing a wave that carries the music upwards. For being buried in the latter part of the album, it’s a gem that shines through and could well be a good choice for the next single as it once again showcases the band at their best.

For anyone looking to criticise the album it could be said that Diviner have played it safe, the ten tracks delivered stick fairly rigidly to the power metal style. They have blended in other metal elements that do increase the sonic interest of their music. However, the concept of the music does not deviate greatly from the power metal style. There is also the question of whether or not lead singer Yiannis Papanikolaou is channelling a bit too much Dio with the vocal delivery. It could be argued at times that the vocals sound a bit like a carbon copy. However, with both of these points, although valid, don’t pose a threat to this being considered a great album.

Diviner have nailed the stylistic elements of the genre within which they work, ‘Realms of Time’ is a great slice of power metal and they’ve executed it excellently from open to close. Yes, there’s a lot of Dio to be heard in the vocals, but so what? There remains a great deal of originality, to have a clearly heard influence is not going to damage the music in anyway. There’s a lot to enjoy on this album and hopefully it will lead to more from Diviner. Take a trip into the ‘Realms of Time’, you won’t be disappointed.

‘Realms of Time’ is released on 7 June. You can get your copy HERE.

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